ABSTRACT
This chapter starts with a paradox: although it was not expressly provided for as such in the Constitution, Belgium’s parliamentary regime is one of the constitutive elements of its constitutional identity. In the first section of the chapter, the constitutional provisions which support such an assertion are examined, through the analysis of the two pillars of parliamentarianism – the accountability of Government to Parliament and the King’s power to dissolve the latter. Then, the development of both the implementation and interpretation of those provisions since 1831 are examined. Those developments are considered from two perspectives: the King-Government angle and the Government-Parliament axis. Finally, the incidence of federalism on the parliamentary regime is discussed.
