Proposition 54K2673

Projet de loi modifiant le tableau visé à l'article 87 du Code électoral en vue d'adapter la structure cantonale de la circonscription électorale de Hainaut.

General information ¶

Authors

LE Christian Brotcorne
MR Jean-Jacques Flahaux, Benoît Friart
PS | SP Laurent Devin, Fabienne Winckel

Submission date

Sept. 20, 2017

Official page

Visit

Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

division into constituencies electoral law Province of Hainault

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

CD&V Vooruit LE PS | SP Open Vld N-VA MR PP

Voted to reject

Groen Ecolo DéFI

Abstained from voting

∉ PVDA | PTB VB

Party dissidents ¶

• Olivier Maingain (MR) voted to reject.

Contact form ¶

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Discussion ¶

Oct. 5, 2017 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

I refer to the written report, Mr. Speaker. I can also say that the bill was adopted in the committee with 11 votes for and 1 against.

Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Minister, this is an important moment for our Central Region, since, on the occasion of the appeal brought by the Ecolo party, we are given the opportunity to make changes to the Hainaut constituency. It was a dream of many, and in particular of our dear Mr. Taminiaux, who had brought the idea of the Centre region, also with the liberals, since the Liberal Association of the Centre has long existed too.

Today, thanks indirectly to Ecolo, we have the opportunity to create the electoral district of the Centre. This is the political meaning of what we are going to do today. That’s why I regret that our friends, thanks to whom the debate was launched, have stopped the four lines for equally political reasons that they will probably explain in a few minutes.

I am really very happy because, with our friends socialists, liberals and Christian Democrats, we have reached a consensus. This is extremely important, in our Hainaut, in our Wallonia. We managed to accomplish a project that has been dear to us for about 20 years.

In the interior committee, almost unanimity was met, since the proposal was adopted by eleven votes against one. I hope that unanimity will be repeated today.

Per ⁇ we will argue that we could wait for this or that Region to move forward. I think today we make a symbolic gesture. I would like to thank the whole assembly for this achievement of the electoral district of the Centre.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Flahaux for recalling the origin of what is being considered today in the House, namely this appeal that the ecologists introduced and won to maintain and strengthen the principles of sufficient proportionality in certain places, some cuts of our arrondissements that did not deserve the bricolage that is being proposed to us.

I will explain in a few points the reasons why we will not vote on this text. First, a few things related to the form. The House is preparing to urgently adopt a text concerning Wallonia's constituencies, while the text of the Wallon Parliament, which was supposed to be the origin of the steps, is not even ready. In parallel to what was deposited in the House, a proposal for a special decree was deposited in Wallonia, but, finding the multiple legal, administrative and even political errors in this text, it was dare-dare advised by the secretary of the wallon Parliament to amend it in depth, which was accepted by the wallon parliamentarians. I have even been told that the text, a new version, will be sent to the State Council and that it will take forty-five days.

I would have to explain why the text presented to the Federal Parliament, which is only the consequence of what is adopted at the wallon level, must be voted urgently, without the opinion of the State Council. Mr. Speaker, you will remember that we requested you. We have not yet received a response.

But in the Walloon Parliament, the State Council will be requested because it is, under some technical outcomes, a modification of our electoral mechanism. There are, in this text, important issues for the constituency of the Centre. We can rely on what the Municipalities of the Centre have requested; we have already said it.

But here, we go further. So, I come to the fundamental issues that pose problems for us. There is a request from the communes to finally obtain the historical recognition of a circumscription of the Centre. The appeal that Ecolo has obtained offers an opportunity. We are in favor of this, but what is proposed at the moment in the text deposited, is not what the municipalities demand. It is proposed to create two administrative districts. The people wanted unity. All the texts voted in the municipalities concerned aimed at creating a political unit of the Centre. We have supported it, but it does not appear in this text.

I do not understand and no one can explain and justify it otherwise than by the fact that two headquarters had to be created. It is again subdivided and the citizens of this circumscription of the Centre are placed in an unequal position between those of La Louvière and those of Soignies. We cannot accept it.

I now come back to the way the work is organized. What is happening here must only be the consequence of the vote that will one day take place in the Walloon Parliament. It becomes the primary object.

This has no political or legal meaning. I had the opportunity to question the Minister of the Interior in June, some will say in tempore non suspecto; almost non suspecto because some things were already murmuring. The presidents of the traditional parties met. Two of them are sitting in our assembly. They will be able to give us more clarification in connection with this. In June, when I ask the Minister of the Interior, and I invite you to read his answer, he specifies that “the role and the federal competence are only subsequent to what Wallonia must implement”.

Clearly, when you consult the table that is proposed to us, Wallonia is competent for the constituencies. Wallonia is competent for the districts. Wallonia is competent for the cantons, but the federal is competent only to determine which communes will be within the cantons. Today, we are proposed to determine the communes assigned to this or that canton, while we still do not know everything about cantons, arrondissements and circonscriptions!

If the State Council still asks you to change the text at the Wallon level, what will you do here? We will have to do the work again! If, politically, other concerns are evoked in the Walloon Parliament, what will we do here? We will have to do the work again. This is shit work! It is broken! It makes no sense. You must have already reviewed your text at the wallon level. If you are also confident of your federal text, send it to the State Council! At least have that courage. These are the foundations of democracy. It is now organized a constituency at the level of Hainaut by creating this constituency of the Centre. I think we all want it, but accept that the text is legally solid and accept that it reflects the demands of the municipalities concerned. This is not the case here!

Asking the Minister of the Interior about the deadline, he told us – his words appear in the accounts of the committees – that “everything must be adopted by May 2018”. May 2018 ! We have time! What is the reason for this urgency? Will the polls, at some point, be so bad for some of the partners, that he risks re-evaluating his own position, while today he is embarked in a dynamic of the three traditional parties? I know nothing!

But there is one thing I want to point out, Mr. Flahaux. You were right to point out that it was thanks to or because of the winning appeal introduced by the environmentalists that today we are able to set up this constituency. But why have traditional party presidents never associated us with discussions, when we are the source of this appeal? This is also a problem when it comes to organizing the rules of functioning of our democracy. This too, I could not let it go beyond the substantive remarks and legal remarks that we have developed here.

Furthermore, I thank my colleague Vanden Burre – I sat in the Nuclear Security Subcommittee – for participating in this discussion to present our elements, even though he could not convince. I dared hope, in the plenary session and in the presence of two of the three presidents, who organized these meetings, to receive at least some answers, or even consider a postponement of the vote, because it is about respecting what the Minister of the Interior said, namely the order of things, first at the wallon level and then at the federal level.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Minister, dear colleagues, I express myself both in my capacity as a Federal Deputy and in my capacity as President of the Urban Community of the Centre. Why the City Centre? For 40 years, we have been waiting to be recognized as a full territory.

We have been fighting this struggle for several years. We have been recognized as a basin of life in terms of education, employment and training and as a united territory in terms of tourism. We fought for our community and local television. It was recognized; it was not expelled from the audiovisual territory. All this is important for people who have lived by default between Mons and Charleroi, cities that I especially appreciate, Mr. President. You can also tell the friends of Carolos. The centre is between Mons and Charleroi. The vote you are going to produce today will give this recognition to a region of 250,000 inhabitants.

Forty years of waiting and, today, a unanimous will with a historical chance thanks, it is true, to an appeal of Ecolo against Luxembourg, which says that it must be able to be recognised in a proportional way and that effectively, the federations, as in Luxembourg or in Thuin, do not produce four elected. We can talk about proportionality. I was the third elected of three socialists in Thuin, Mr. Nollet. You weren’t very happy that day, but I see that you are smiling today. Time can bring us closer. I also hope that time will do its work here. In Luxembourg, too, there is something to change. Ecolo is on the initiative. And, as you know, I met with the representatives of Ecolo, your president, but also Mr. Guérard, whom I will meet again because there is a unanimous will. I take Mr. Flahaux as a witness here in the room. There is a unanimous will to obtain this constituency.

When I say unanimous will, we have gone further. Mrs Winckel, we went to every municipal council. Each municipal council was able to vote in soul and conscience on the fate that would be given to this constituency in relation to its city, its municipality. Two municipalities have chosen to join the Charleroi district. Three others go to Picarde Wallonia - the friends of Tournaisis know it very well -: Lessines, Silly and Enghien.

In the end, thanks to Ecolo and the presidents of the socialist, liberal and CDH parties, everyone was able to choose their fate, which is essential. There is much question of the will of the people. This is the will of the citizens. There were debates and votes in municipal councils. Oppositions between parties and even between trade unions and entrepreneurs have been transcended. Mr. Flahaux and Mrs. Winckel witnessed this: there really was this discussion between political representatives, those of entrepreneurs and trade union representatives. We discussed it all together. Today, I can tell you that the will was unanimous: the urgency!

I do not want that at any given time, anyone can file an appeal after October 14, 2018, Mr. Nollet! I do not want to give anyone the opportunity to fight against democracy and the will of one and the other. Of course, this is about provincial elections. You talked about the Walloon Parliament! This is another hospital. But with regard to provincial elections directly concerned with regard to cantons and districts, it will be directly on October 14.

I read the response of Mr Jan Jambon, Minister of the Interior. I read it well. This is a year from the regional elections. He will present a text himself.

As far as I am concerned, I’m talking about provincial elections and that’s why I’m coming to ask you for the urgency. I do it with respect for everyone. Proportionality can be discussed for a very long time, but this is not the time for a debate on this subject.

I will conclude my speech by telling you my pride to present you this text today, a text that does not have to be submitted to the State Council, there are only three articles! This will not change. There are three articles and I discussed them yesterday with your colleague Mr. Vanden Burre. There are three articles. Simply the pride. I thank the presidents of the various parties for taking their responsibilities. It is not easy in the conflicting and tense context that we know to reach an agreement. Citizens will be grateful to you.

I would like to thank Mr Flahaux, Brotcorne and Friart and Mrs Winckel who have signed.

I encourage you to vote on the text.

Mr. President, I am addressing Mr. Devin and Mr. Flahaux, I have a problem with the procedure. This has been emphasized recently. I did not have the opportunity to participate in the discussions in the committee due to my hospitalization. I see today that at the very last minute, we come up with a text that I did not have the opportunity to analyze since, normally, we did not vote on that day.

For my part, the idea of the Central Circuit has always seemed excellent for two reasons. First, because the Centre presents a social unit that would make logical a constituency that follows this decoupage. Second, a minimum number of elected people is needed in order for democratic rules to work. A larger constituency is therefore the guarantee of a better democracy.

However, I discover the text and I see that we do not have a district of the Centre - administrative in any case; Electorally it is necessary to see how this translates - but a district of Soignies and a district of La Louvière. Two districts of the center. I would like to understand the logic. We no longer follow the principle of the unity of the region of the Centre, nor that of a sufficient number of elected. Per ⁇ there is a difference between the administrative district and the electoral district that will depend on it, but in the text submitted today, I see only that. I would like to have some explanations. What exactly is it about?

It is therefore the problem of having to speak quickly on a text that was presented to us at the last minute in the plenary session.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask Mr. Devin about the thanks he has expressed here at the tribune to the presidents of traditional parties, two of which are present.

Mr. Devin, how do you interpret in this context the response given by the Walloon Prime Minister-President, Mr. Magnette, in April, when my party made known that it was seeking to participate in the discussions?

I will quote Mr. Magnette’s response: “In fact, I never hid it, there are contacts between the instances of political parties since this goes beyond the boundaries of the majority. I informed the party presidents that I find out from time to time that there was a wish of your formation – Ecolo in this case – to be associated with this level of reflection. I hope that this message will finally find its way.”

I also say to colleague Di Rupo and colleague Lutgen, this path has never been found, and I regret it! I regret it because commitments have been made. We had ideas in this regard. We have had to transmit them by amendments and we will again formulate them by amendments to the Walloon Parliament. I dare hope that what is not possible here, that what has not been possible in the past, will still be realizable during the period of forty-five days in the Walloon Parliament. If that is the case, we will have to talk about the same text here!

Mr. Devin, that is why I wanted to distinguish an agreement on the principle of creating a constituency – like other, I say a constituency – from the Centre, and not two. And that is why I regret the way you acted on this text.

I am not here to argue. To answer my colleague, Mr. Van Hees, who is from the Centre region, we are talking about provincial elections, with two different arrondissements for the electoral district, as explained in the media. There is only one electoral district for the entire region of the Centre for Walloon Regional Elections.

Mr. Nollet, I think your question was addressed rather to party presidents. I would like to refer to your two co-chairmen. Take the necessary contacts. As you know very well, since I have already spoken to you in a very respectful way, I myself took contact with Ecolo officials of the Centre and Hainaut region and with the party presidency. I know my limits, too. Others take on other responsibilities, and take them very well.

Mr. Nollet, in each of our municipal councils, Ecolo elected members took full part in the same deliberation. Mayor Ecolo d’Enghien approved the transition to western Hainaut without any difficulty. To answer Mr. Van Hees, as Mr. Devin has just said, there will be only one electoral district of the Centre for Regional Elections.

This does not respond to my request. I know the position of our Mayor. We are also in favor of this. I have already said. But this does not respond at all. I point out the silence of Mr. Lutgen and Mr. Di Rupo, while I have indirectly, and now directly, questioned them.