Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/741

 CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT 689

the electorate and eligibility for the Senate is about to be completely modi- fied. For both Senate and Chamber the elections of November 16, 1919, were held on the principle of universal suffrage.

The Senate consists of members elected for eight years, partly directly and partly indirectly. Their total number is 120, of whom 27 are elected by the Provincial Councils. The number elected directly is equal to half the number of members of the Chamber of Representatives, and is proportioned to the population of each province. The constituent body is similar to that which elects deputies to the Chamber, except that the minimum age of electors is fixed at thirty years. In the election of members both of the Senate and Chamber of Representatives directly, the principle of proportional representation of parties was introduced by Law of December 29, 1899. Senators elected indirectly are chosen by the provincial councils, two for each province with less than 500,000 inhabitants ; three for each with a population up to 1,000,000 ; and four for each with over 1,000,000. No one, during two years preceding the election, must have been a member of the council appointing him. All senators must be at least fortv years of age, and those elected directly must pay not less than 1,200 francs in direct taxes, or own immovable property in Belgium yielding an income of 12,000 francs. In provinces, however, where the number eligible for the Senate would be less than one in 5,000 of population, the list is extended to this proportion by admission of the most highly taxed. Sons of the King, or failing these, Belgian princes of the reigning branch of the Royal Family are by right Senators at the age of eighteen, but have no voice in the deliberations till the age of twenty-five years.

The members of the Chamber of Representatives are all elected directly by the electoral body. Their number at present, 186 (law of May 2, 1912), is proportioned to the population, and cannot exceed one for every 40,000 inhabitants. They sit for four yeai-s, one-half retiring every two years, except that after a dissolution a general election takes place. It is intended to establish the principle of universal suffrage in Belgium, but the actual completion of the process has yet to be adopted. Deputies must be not less than twenty-five years of age, and resident in Belgium. Each deputy has an annual indemnity of 12,000 francs, and a free pass all the year over Government and Companies' railways between his residence and the place of Session.

The Senate and Chamber meet annually in the month of November, and must sit for at least forty days ; but the King has the power of convoking them on extraordinary occasions, and of dissolving them either simultaneously or separately. In the latter case a new election must take place within forty days, and a meeting of the Chambers within two months. An adjourn- ment cannot be made for a period exceeding one month without the consent of the Chambers. Money bills and bills relating to the contingent for the army originate in the Chamber of Representatives.

Parties in the Chamber 1919 :— Catholics, 71 ; Socialists, 70 ; Liberals, 34 ; miscellaneous, 11.

Parties in the Senate 1919 :— Catholics, 59 ; Liberals, 36 ; Socialists, 25.

The Executive Government consists of 12 departments, under the following Ministers (appointed November 20, 1920) : —

Prime Minister and Minister of Int. rior.— Henry Carton de Wiart (Catholic).

Minister of Finance.— Georges Theunis.

Minister of Economic Affairs. —Aloys Van de Vyxere (Catholic).

Minister of Foreign Affairs.— Henri Jaspar v Catholic).

Minister of Education.— Jules Destrie (Socialist).