General Questions and Informations about the Royal Family of Belgium


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tommy100 said:
Wow!
A) How are they all old enough to vote already?!
B) Still throws me seeing Royals voting in elections. Shows just how used we get to what our own royals in our own countries do. Of course, in Belgium voting is compulsory.
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I just read that voting itself is not compulsory. It is compulsory to show up at the voting boot but once there, Belgian citizens are free to either abstain from voting, use a blank vote or an invalid vote.

I am also not used to royals voting and it somewhat defeats the purpose of having a hereditary system of a family who is supposed to be impartial. Personally, for me it would make sense for at least the heir to exercise a blank vote at each and every election to preserve her impartiality.
 
Somebody said:
I just read that voting itself is not compulsory. It is compulsory to show up at the voting boot but once there, Belgian citizens are free to either abstain from voting, use a blank vote or an invalid vote.

I am also not used to royals voting and it somewhat defeats the purpose of having a hereditary system of a family who is supposed to be impartial. Personally, for me it would make sense for at least the heir to exercise a blank vote at each and every election to preserve her impartiality.
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So they can't vote via letter?
 
Stefan said:
So they can't vote via letter?
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That also counts as 'showing up'. I don't know whether that option exists for those living in Belgium itself but it does exist for those living abroad.
 
Somebody said:
That also counts as 'showing up'. I don't know whether that option exists for those living in Belgium itself but it does exist for those living abroad.
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Would be very odd if those living in Belgium would not be able to vote via Letter. At last here in Germany one can not where one wants but there if an election office at the place where one has his living place to which one is assigned. And if it not possible for whatever reason to show up there on the election Day on can choose to vote via Letter. That should be even more the case with an election duty, as i don't think one can go voting where one wants to do.
 
Stefan said:
Would be very odd if those living in Belgium would not be able to vote via Letter. At last here in Germany one can not where one wants but there if an election office at the place where one has his living place to which one is assigned. And if it not possible for whatever reason to show up there on the election Day on can choose to vote via Letter. That should be even more the case with an election duty, as i don't think one can go voting where one wants to do.
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I dont know for Belgium but for the Netherlands voting by mail is one of the regular options for those living abroad. If you officially live in the Netherlands, you can only vote by mail if you are abroad on election day - which you have to request well in advance. The probably more comon alternative is to authorize someone else to vote in your place (this option also exist if you live abroad). If you are in the Netherlands but not close to your assigned voting location you can request a special pass that allows you to vote in any voting location in the Netherlands.
 
The law asks to show up. You may ask help and send a letter if you are abroad.
 
Queen Paola accidentaly revealed her voting intentions. She was photographed at the voting location with a piece of paper-a handkerchief. Written on it were the part ´MR´ (French-speaking liberal party) and the name of former prime minister Sophie Wilmès.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1800089674779861191

Surprising IMO as I thought they would always vote for the christian democrat party cdH. Not a surprise she chose to vote for the French-speaking candidate instead of the Dutch-speaking one (in Brussels you can chose between all of them, in the rest of Belgium you can not).
 
Marengo said:
Queen Paola accidentaly revealed her voting intentions. She was photographed at the voting location with a piece of paper-a handkerchief. Written on it were the part ´MR´ (French-speaking liberal party) and the name of former prime minister Sophie Wilmès.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1800089674779861191

Surprising IMO as I thought they would always vote for the christian democrat party cdH. Not a surprise she chose to vote for the French-speaking candidate instead of the Dutch-speaking one (in Brussels you can chose between all of them, in the rest of Belgium you can not).
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It clearly wasn't her intention to reveal anything, it's a pity that journalists couldn't be more respectful in this case, but I'm not surprised they published it anyway.

As for the vote itself, according to political analyst Carl Devos in Het Nieuwsblad, it isn't very surprising. Paola is certainly known to be religious, but "there's no longer a true Christian party in Wallonia (Les Engagés is only what is left of cdH), and Sophie Wilmès is on good terms with the Palace, very much pro-union and she's very popular in Wallonia" (yesterday's elections were a massive success for MR and for her personally- she got more than 540.000 votes)
 
Isn’t it slightly disconcerting that she had to write down her vote? Either to remember it or for some other reason?
 
Prinsara said:
Isn’t it slightly disconcerting that she had to write down her vote? Either to remember it or for some other reason?
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That was also my thought. Apparently she needed a reminder on whom to vote for and also where to find her (on top of the list MR).

There were multiple elections in Belgium yesterday, but still…
 
According to a Professor Deneckere, the protocol of celebrating the birth of a royal prince with a 101-round artillery salute but only celebrating the birth of a royal princess with a 21-round artillery salute was reformed for the birth of Princess Elisabeth in 2001. The future crown princess received a 101-round salute.


Why was the inequality not already fixed for the birth of Princess Luisa Maria in 1995? She, not Elisabeth, was the first girl to be born with rights to the Belgian throne.
 
In 1995 Luisa was not really seen as a direct candidate to the Belgian throne. Her grandfather was king and the succession was: Philippe (35 years old, unmarried, and generally still expected to get married and have children) - Astrid - Amedeo - Laura - Joachim - Luisa.
Also, I can't remember gunshots being fired for Astrid & Laurent's children. Only for the children of the heir (Philippe). But maybe I'm wrong.
 
Thank you very much for the response!

Hannelore said:
In 1995 Luisa was not really seen as a direct candidate to the Belgian throne. Her grandfather was king and the succession was: Philippe (35 years old, unmarried, and generally still expected to get married and have children) - Astrid - Amedeo - Laura - Joachim - Luisa.
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Certainly, but neither was her brother Joachim in direct line, so if he received a 101-round salute at birth, it would nevertheless be unequitable for Luisa to receive only a 21-round salute simply because she was a girl.

Hannelore said:
Also, I can't remember gunshots being fired for Astrid & Laurent's children. Only for the children of the heir (Philippe). But maybe I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

That would explain it indeed, thank you.
Are there others here who can confirm that Astrid's children (and Laurent's children) did not receive the traditional artillery salute?
 
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