The appointment of a woman to succeed Sammy Mahdi as Secretary of State has an unprecedented consequence. The federal government is now made up of more women than men (Editor’s note: counting Sophie Wilmès, on temporary leave). “This is totally unprecedented in the history of the country,” points out Cédric Istasse, political scientist at Crisp.
The King appoints and dismisses his ministers. But parity, de facto, depends on the goodwill of party presidents who appoint ministers. Article 11 bis of the Constitution limits itself to imposing persons of different sexes within the Council of Ministers.
“The Council of Ministers, at the federal level, calculates Cédric Istasse, these are the 15 ministers plus possibly the Prime. A single minister is therefore sufficient, with 14 male ministers. Under the Dehaene II government, there were two women. Until the end of the 1990s, we revolved around 15% of women maximum at the federal level.
The Regions and Communities can however go further. The difference between the south and the north of the country is widening.
A new rule in Brussels
Thus, this Monday, a proposal for a special ordinance tabled by Ecolo / Groen and the PS was adopted by the General Affairs Committee of the Brussels Parliament. The text was back on the table following a negative opinion from the Council of State.
The ordinance imposes the presence of at least one third of women and men in the government of the Brussels-Capital Region, from 2024. “The practice has been in place for two legislatures. But honestly, on issues of gender equality, even more so when we see the revocation of the right to abortion in the USA, putting in place a rule is sometimes useful.“, points out John Pitseys (Eco-friendly), Brussels deputy who submits the text.
This same rule already exists in the Walloon government. Ignorance of this provision had also led the president of the MR to backtrack following appointing Denis Ducarme in place of Valérie De Bue.
“On the question of the representation of women in politics, Wallonia and Brussels are neck and neck, even if Wallonia is more avant-garde. On the other hand, Flanders and the German-speaking Community tend to put the brakes on. Flanders and in the German-speaking Community, there are no parity rules in the governmentscontinues Cédric Istasse, from Crisp. O This can be seen as a mixture of political conservatism and the fear of not finding women for certain positions. Men retain a more prominent place in party structures.”
The Flemish government is the least feminine with three women for every six men. The Walloon and Brussels executives are not really doing any better with three women for five men…
In the municipalities
Parity is also the rule in the municipal colleges.
Thus, a one-third representation of women is compulsory in the Walloon municipalities. No such rule exists in the Flemish municipalities, according to Crisp. In the Brussels Region, on the other hand, the new municipal law establishes parity between men and women from 2024. ” We have never counted so many women mayors in the municipalities of Brussels “, assures the cabinet of Bernard Clerfayt (Défi), Brussels Minister for Local Authorities.
However, with 5 of the 19 Brussels municipalities headed by women, parity still seems a long way off…
The differences in approach are also reflected in the constitution of the electoral lists.
Wallonia was the first to apply the pull tab in 2019 (obligation to place a woman then a man on the electoral lists, or the reverse). The zipper will also apply in Brussels for the regional Parliament in 2024. “On the federal lists, on the other hand, it is limited to half of people of each sex and at least one woman in the first two places. In Flanders, it’s the same system“, concludes the political scientist of Crisp. “This can lead to women being at the back of the pack…”
