1. is a federal monarchy in Western
Europe. It is a founding member
of the European Union.
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2. Belgium covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres
(11,787 sq mi), and it has a population of about 11 million
people. Belgium shares borders with France
(620 km), Germany (167 km), Luxembourg (148 km) and
the Netherlands (450 km).
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3. The population of Belgium is divided into three
linguistic communities. In the north the Flemings,
who constitute more than half of Belgium's
population, speak Netherlander. English speakers
usually call the Netherlander spoken in Belgium
“Flemish” and that spoken in The Netherlands
“Dutch,” but in standardized form they are basically
the same language
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4. In the south
The
French-speaking Walloons make up about
one-third of the country's population. About
one-tenth of the people are completely
bilingual, but a majority have some
knowledge of both French and Flemish.
The German-language region in eastern
Liege province, containing a small fraction of
the Belgian population, consists of several
communes around Eupen and Saint-Vith
(Sankt-Vith) (see Eupen-et-Ma lmedy
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5. Belgiumis a constitutional , popular monarchy and
a federal parliamentary democracy. The bicameral federal
parliament is composed of a Senate and a Chamber of
Representatives. The former is made up of 40 directly elected
politicians and 21 representatives appointed by the 3
Community parliaments, 10
co-opted senators and the children of the king, as Senators by
Right who in practice do not cast their vote. The Chamber's 150
representatives are elected under a proportional voting system
from 11 electoral districts.
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6. Elio De Rupo
since 2011
Philippe
King since 2013 6Prabh Simran Singh & Co.26-05-2014
7. The King of the Belgians
is the constitutional head of the Belgian state and
holds office for life. The duties of the king are laid out by the
Belgian Constitution and other laws enforced under it.
As titular head of state, the King plays a ceremonial and symbolic
role in the nation. His main political function is to designate a
political leader to form a new cabinet after an election or the
resignation of a cabinet. In conditions where there is a
"constructive vote of no-confidence," the government has to
resign and the lower house of Parliament proposes a new Prime
Minister to the King. The King is also seen as playing a symbolic
unifying role, representing a common national Belgian identity.
Philippe succeeded his father Albert II on 21 July 2013 upon his
abdication.
Federal government.
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8. In addition to three regions and three cultural communities, Belgium
also is divided into 10 provinces and 589 municipalities.
The provincial governments are primarily administrative units and
are politically weak. A governor appointed by the King presides over
each province. Each governor is supported by an elected Provincial
Council of 47 to 84 members (depending on the size of the
province), which sits only 4 weeks a year.
Municipal governments, on the other hand, are vigorous political
entities with significant powers and a history of independence
dating from medieval times. Many national politicians originate from
municipal political bases; and many often double as mayor or
alderman in their hometowns in addition to their federal and
regional political positions.
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10. The Federal State's authority includes justice, defence,
federal police, social security, nuclear energy, monetary
policy and public debt, and other aspects of public finances.
State-owned companies include the Belgian Post
Group and Belgian Railways. The Federal Government is
responsible for the obligations of Belgium and its federalized
institutions towards the European Union and NATO. It
controls substantial parts of public health, home affairs and
foreign affairs. The budget—without the debt—controlled by
the federal government amounts to about 50% of the
national fiscal income. The federal government employs
around 12% of the civil servants.
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11. Belgium has three official languages, which are (in order
of size of the native speaking population of Belgium)
Dutch, French and German. A number of non-official
minority languages are spoken as well. As no census
exists, there are no official statistical data regarding the
distribution or usage of Belgium's three official languages
or their dialects.
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12. According to international observers, human
rights in Belgium are generally respected and the
law and the judiciary provided effective means of
addressing individual instances of abuse However,
some concerns have been reported over the
treatment of asylum seekers, prison overcrowding
and the banning of full face veils. Capital
punishment in Belgium is fully abolished and a
prohibition on the death penalty included in the
Belgian Constitution. 12Prabh Simran Singh & Co.26-05-2014
14. The only power which is shared in Belgium is the legislative :
members of parliaments, federal and municipal assemblies are
elected by direct elections. All status of govt . i.e State , Centre and
Local Govt. Have equal rights.
And indeed during the last election due to the number combination no
party got enough votes to have an absolute majority and as nobody
wants to give an inch to form a coalition government we have this
ridiculous situation of a country without a government for more than a
year.
Executive: prime minister and ministers are appointed by the king.
Judicial: Justices, judges and prosecutors (procurer du roe) are
appointed, not elected.
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