| Historical presidents | Albert Mechelynck (first) Omer Vanaudenhove (last) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1846 |
| Dissolved | 1961 |
| Succeeded by | Party for Freedom and Progress |
| Headquarters | Brussels,Belgium |
| Trade Union's wing | General Confederation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium |
| Ideology | Liberalism Classical liberalism Anti-clericalism |
| Political position | Centre-left toleft-wing[1][2] |
| International affiliation | Liberal International (from 1947) |
| Colours | Blue |
TheLiberal Party (Dutch:Liberale Partij,pronounced[libəˈraːləpɑrˈtɛi];French:Parti libéral,pronounced[paʁtilibeʁal]) was aBelgian political party that existed from 1846 until 1961, when it became theParty for Freedom and Progress,Partij voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang/Parti de la Liberté et du Progrès or PVV-PLP, under the leadership ofOmer Vanaudenhove.
The Liberal Party was founded in 1846 and as such was the first political party ofBelgium.Walthère Frère-Orban wrote the first charter for the new party.
The Liberal Party had a clear victory in the1848 elections, following lower tax requirements that benefited urban populations, where liberals were stronger. The Liberal Party remained in dominant position for the most part of the period from 1848 until1884, where it lost to Catholics due to theFirst School War. The Liberal Party suffered even more losses in the next elections, most notable in the1894 elections, the first ones with universal suffrage. However, they made a comeback in1900 upon the introduction of proportional representation.
From 1887 until 1900, theProgressive Party (French:Parti Progressiste, Dutch:Progressieve Partij) existed as a separate progressive Liberal party.
For much of the party’s history, Belgian Liberals advocated progressive measures[3] such as health and safety provisions,[4] a minimum wage,[5] cheap housing,[6] and improvements in social security.[7]
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