“Limitation on Successive Terms of Office in Belgium: Debate and Implications”

2023-05-01 19:06:27

But is a limitation on the accumulation of successive terms of office desirable? “The question sees opposing points of view sometimes decided”, affirms Benjamin Biard, researcher at Crisp, the Center for Research and Socio-Political Information. “Some consider it important to proceed with the more regular renewal of political personnel. Others believe that it is up to the voter to choose whether or not he wishes to extend the mandate of an elected official who still belongs to him. to appreciate the work. These two logics derive from distinct conceptions of democracy.”

But if Les Engagés managed to impose itself, the Belgian parliamentary and governmental system would then resemble on this point the American or French presidential system. Indeed, in these countries, presidents can only be elected for two successive terms. “But be careful, this only applies to executive functions. Members of Parliament or members of Congress in the United States are not subject to this limitation”, says Pierre Vercauteren. And this for a very specific reason: “In the United States as in France, the president holds strong personal power and is elected by universal suffrage of the electors”, says Benjamin Biard. “The limit on the number of successive mandates to the same presidential function can be considered as a “democratic safeguard”. In Belgium, the government is not elected: its members are appointed by the King. On the other hand (as it is also the case in France), he is responsible to Parliament, which can decide to dismiss him by adopting a motion of no confidence.

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