List Dedecker (Lijst Dedecker) is a Belgian political party founded in January 2007 by Senator Jean-Marie Dedecker. He founded the party after the Cassandra vzw thinktank judged in 2006 that there was room for a right-liberal movement in Flanders, expressing the need for a "Common Sense Party".

Platform

The party strives for a more independent Flanders. The economic program consists in a smaller more efficient government, a simpler and social flat tax and a limit in time of the unemployment benefits. Other parts of the program consist in the proposition for a binding referendum, the abolition of the barriers for new political parties in Belgium and a tougher approach towards crime. Ethically, the party founded by the former VLD senator is liberal. The new party has as its baseline 'Lijst Dedecker, Common Sense'.

Dedecker List also opposes the Cordon sanitaire that is used to keep the right wing Flemish party Flemish Interest from power, claiming that it is unsuccessful and undemocratic.

Rumours stated that Dedecker was also looking to create his own political list in Wallonia.

Members

In early 2007 a part of the party VLOTT, cartel partner of Vlaams Belang, joined Dedecker List. Important members of Dedecker List are Boudewijn Bouckaert, who heads liberal think tank Nova Civitas, and several mayors and former VLD members. Vlaams Belang House of Representatives members Jurgen Verstrepen and Monique Moens defected to the Dedecker List in April 2007, which led to the de facto existence of a new fraction in parliament. Verstrepen will lead the Antwerp list for the party. Mimount Bousakla, a sp.a senator, decided to join Dedecker List in May 2007.

Current president is Jean-Marie Dedecker.

Elections

Dedecker List took part in the 2007 general election, in which they have exceeded the 5% threshold for parliamentary representation, although opinion polls in run-up to the election all dismissed the chances for the party to meet the threshold. Marten Fortuyn, brother of the slain Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn, campaigned for the party in run-up to the election. One election analyst showed after the election that List Dedecker was able to attract voters across all political parties, including former SP.A, VLD, and VB voters. In these 10 June 2007 general elections, the party won 5 out of 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 1 out of 40 seats in the Senate.

Representation

Federal Parliament (as of June 28, 2007)

Belgian Senate

• Lieve Van Ermen

Chamber of representatives

• Jean-Marie Dedecker, elected in the provincial constituency of West-Flanders
• Martine De Maght, elected in the provincial constituency of East-Flanders
• Robert Van de Velde, elected as first successor in the provincial constituency of Antwerp
• Dirk Vijnck, elected in the electoral district of Leuven
• Ulla Werbrouck, elected in the provincial constituency of West-Flanders

Flemish Parliament (as of July 4, 2007)

• Monique Moens (since April 2007)
• Jurgen Verstrepen (since April 2007)

References

See also

• Members of List Dedecker
• Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten, the liberal VLD party.
• Liberaal Appèl, the right-liberal party of ex-VLD floor leader Ward Beysen.
• VLOTT, the right-liberal party of ex-VLD senator Hugo Coveliers.
• Veilig Blauw, the right-liberal party of ex-VLD senator Leo Govaerts.
• Nova Civitas, the classical-liberal thinktank of ex-VLD board member Boudewijn Bouckaert.

External links

• Dedecker List (Official site in Dutch)
• Lijst Dedecker enters the fray (Election 07 profile from the VRT)