When it comes to diversity in politics, Belgium scores highly. With 12 mainstream parties at the federal level representing a spectrum of agendas, there's plenty of variety in opinion. This is sustained thanks to proportional representation, which gives voters a lot of choice rather than being limited to binary decisions.
However unifying the political views behind a single executive entity (aka a government) is a fiendish task; it took the new "Arizona" government eight months to strike the balance. But before De Wever's long-awaited government has even started on the daunting assignment of stabilising Belgium's finances, it finds itself beset by a glaring PR problem: representation within the cabinet is strikingly feeble, with only four of the 15 being women.
In modern Europe this is less than ideal. Ursula von der Leyen's attempt to have a gender-balanced college of EU commissioners may have missed the mark, but Belgium is supposed to be more progressive on this front. De Croo's government had gender parity in its 20-strong cabinet. And Flanders now has six female ministers and three men.
And it's not as if the new government has only slightly missed the balance, the male dominance is remarkable. And it became all the more so in the poorly staged portrait of Prime Minister De Wever with his 15 ministers – the four women obscured from view as they stand in the shadow of male colleagues. The optics are so bad that the photo will be taken again. But no trick of lighting will hide the obvious asymmetry, which has already become a distraction from the pressing business of governing Belgium.
In response, some parties are floating the idea of a requirement to equality in the Federal Government, as is the case in the regions. Others on the government side have downplayed the issue, insisting that all ministers are fit for their job and reminding their detractors that each of the five Arizona parties put forward their candidates for the top portfolios; the male-heavy lineup is by chance rather than design. But explaining the problem doesn't resolve it.
Correction: the newsletter version of this article said that the federal cabinet has three, not four, women. Eléonore Simonet is barely visible in the official photo.
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