The Federal Government published on Friday the report of an online consultation that will inform “the debate on democratic renewal and institutional reforms” in Belgium, according to Ministers Annelies Verlinden and David Clarinval, both of whose portfolios include institutional reform.
The report is based on opinions given by the 10,125 Belgians who responded to the survey since its launch in April 2022.
The group of experts who compiled the responses described the results of the consultation as “not representative” of the opinion of Belgians. However, that was not the intention, according to Ministers Verlinden and Clarinval.
“Thanks to the wide range of visions and recommendations of the participants, this report (…) allows us to continue the debate on democratic renewal and institutional reforms,” the ministers said in a statement on Friday.
Six main themes
The questions were divided into six main themes: the role of the citizen, fundamental rights; the organisation of the country; the distribution of competences between the various authorities; the functioning of parliament and government; and the organisation of elections. The report includes a conclusion on each theme, although it often remains vague and there is no general conclusion.
That was not the intention either, the ministers said in their joint statement. The ideas resulting from the survey can serve as inspiration in the federal parliament and government for the political dialogue on the preparation of future state reform, they explained.
They can also inform the reflection on reforms concerning, for example, electoral legislation, faster government formation, party financing or citizen participation in the political decision-making process, they added.
The main criticism made of the survey is that the results are not representative for two reasons.
The digital divided excluded many from the survey
The first is that it was done online, so some people were excluded due to the digital divide.
Secondly, it contained many open-ended questions that concerned informed, politically active citizens in the main, the Scientific Committee wrote in a text accompanying the report.
N-VA parliamentarian Sander Loones spoke of “a bumpy ride” and a “scandalously” low number of participants for a survey that cost €2.1 million.
The results of the consultation were presented to the House on Thursday.
