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Sociaal-Liberale Partij | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Geert Lambert |
| Founded | 2001 (2001) (as Spirit) |
| Dissolved | 2009 (2009) |
| Split from | People's Union |
| Merged into | Groen |
| Headquarters | National secretariat Woeringenstraat 21 Brussels |
| Ideology | Social liberalism[1] Green liberalism Social democracy Flemish regionalism[1] |
| Political position | Centre tocentre-left |
| European affiliation | European Free Alliance |
| Website | |
| www | |
Sociaal-Liberale Partij (Dutch pronunciation:[soːˈɕaːlibəˌraːləpɑrˈtɛi]ⓘ, abbr.SLP;Dutch forSocial Liberal Party) was aBelgianFlemish political party formed after dissolution of the moderate nationalistPeople's Union (Volksunie) party. Prior to 19 April 2008 it was known asSpirit, and intermediately asFlemish Progressives (VlaamsProgressieven).[2] The party merged withGroen in the end of 2009, ceasing to exist.[3]
The People's Union split up into two parties, thesocial liberal Spirit and the centre-rightNew-Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which formed anelectoral alliance with theChristian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) party. The formation of the alliances was seen as a way in which Spirit and N-VA could guarantee their influence and position inFlemish andBelgian politics. This led the liberal wing to initially opt for an Alliance withFlemish Liberals and Democrats.
Spirit was the abbreviation for
In the 10 June 2007general elections, the Social Liberal party was in an electoral alliance withSocialist Party Different (sp.a) and won 14 out of 88 Flemish seats in theChamber of Representatives and 4 out of 40 Flemish seats in theSenate.
In the autumn of 2008, following a scandal causing its leader,Bettina Geysen to step down, the Social Liberal Party ended its cooperation with SP.A.Geert Lambert was elected the new leader. Many prominent party members, including cofounderBert Anciaux, left the party.[4]
