Federal Parliament
The Federal Parliament is the federal legislature of Belgium.
Senate
The upper chamber is the Senate (Sénat, Senaat). There are 60 senators apportioned as:
9 for the Flemish Community, elected by the Flemish Parliament (Vlaams Parlement).
10 for the French Community, elected by the Parliament of the French Community (Parlement de la Communauté française).
8 for the Region of Wallonia, elected by the Walloon Parliament (Parlement de Wallonie).
2 for the Region of Brussels, elected by the French-language group of the Brussels Parliament (Parlement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale) which doubly serves as the Francophone Brussels Parliament (Parlement francophone bruxellois).
1 for the German Community, elected by the Parliament of the German-speaking Community (Parlament der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft).
Lastly, 10 further senators are elected by the other 50.
Until 2014, there were 71 senators of whom:
- 25 were directly elected by Flemish-speakers.
- 15 were directly elected by French-speakers.
- 21 were indirectly elected by Community parliaments.
The chamber is presided over by a president, first vice president, and second vice president. These are elected from the senators. By convention the first vice president is elected from the opposite language group as the president.
Chamber of Representatives
The lower chamber is the Chamber of Representatives (Chambre des Représentants, Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers). There are 150 members allocated across 11 multi-member districts matching the provinces plus the capital region. Overall, 84 seats are allocated to Flanders, 48 to Wallonia, and 15 to Brussels.
Districts hold a number of seats proportional to population. For example, the largest district is Antwerp with 24.
Members are elected by proportional representation with a 5% threshold.
The chamber is presided over by a president, first vice president, and second vice president. These are elected from the members. By convention the first vice president is elected from the opposite language group as the president.