ABSTRACT
Elections set the pace for politics in Belgium. National and local elections have been organized since the independence of the country, European elections for almost half a century, and regional elections since 1995. This chapter first presents the electoral rules used for the elections of the different assemblies, giving special attention to the electoral formula (proportional representation), the size of the districts, the drafting of the lists, the act of voting, and the distribution of the seats. The chapter then discusses features of federal and regional electoral results, with a special emphasis on proportionality, fragmentation, volatility, and asymmetry. The last section is devoted to local elections.
