The Government in Belgium

Belgium is a hereditary constitutional monarchy. The current monarch is King Albert II, who took the oath of office on August 9, 1993. The king’s role is largely symbolic.

The Belgian Parliament consists of a Senate with 71 elected members and a House of Representatives with 150 directly elected members. The executive branch of the government consists of ministers and secretaries of state (junior ministers) drawn from the political parties that form the government coalition. The Council of Ministers is chaired by the Prime Minister and consists of the ministerial heads of the executive departments.

The government and the various public services are administered by the Prime Minister and the other ministers, who are answerable before the House.