# Diependaele Government

The Diependaele Government (Regering-Diependaele) is the Flemish Government formed and sworn in on 30 September 2024, following the 2024 Belgian regional elections and replacing the Jambon Government.
The Government was formed following the 2024 Belgian government formation consisting of parties N-VA, Vooruit and CD&V, making up a majority of 65 seats in the 124 seat Flemish Parliament.
N-VA ministers are Matthias Diependaele, Zuhal Demir, Ben Weyts, Cieltje Van Achter and Annick De Ridder. Vooruit ministers are Caroline Gennez and Melissa Depraetere. CD&V ministers are Hilde Crevits and Jo Brouns. As such, the cabinet is female-dominated, with only 3 male ministers (the minimum 1/3 required).
The main opposition parties are the far-right Vlaams Belang (VB), the Green party, the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open Vld), and the Workers' Party (PVDA). Team Fouad Ahidar also holds a single seat in opposition.

## Composition

The coalition replaced the Jambon Government following the 2024 Belgian federal election and again consisted of three parties, together having a narrow majority of 65 seats out of 124 seats total. The N-VA (31 seats) and CD&V (16 seats) were already part of the outgoing coalition, with Vooruit (18 seats) now replacing the Open Vld.
Flemish Government - Diependaele 2024-currentvte :
| Party | Name | Function |
| N-VA | Matthias Diependaele | Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Economy, Innovation en Industry, External Affairs, Digitalisation, and Facility Management |
| N-VA | Ben Weyts | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Budget and Finance, Vlaamse Rand, Real Estate Heritage, and Animal Welfare |
| Vooruit | Melissa Depraetere | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Housing, Energy and Climate, Tourism, and Youth |
| CD&V | Hilde Crevits | Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister of the Interior, Urban and Rural Policy, Society, Integration and Inclusion, Administration, Social Economy, and Marine Fishing |
| N-VA | Zuhal Demir | Flemish Minister for Education, Justice, and Employment |
| N-VA | Annick De Ridder | Flemish Minister for Mobility, Public Works, Ports, and Sport |
| N-VA | Cieltje Van Achter | Flemish Minister for Brussels, and Media |
| Vooruit | Caroline Gennez | Flemish minister for Welfare and Poverty Alleviation, Culture, and Equal Opportunities |
| CD&V | Jo Brouns | Flemish Minister for Agriculture and Environment |

## Policy

The coalition agreement, published on 30 September 2024, is titled "Working together toward a warm and prosperous Flanders" ("Samen werken aan een warm en welvarend Vlaanderen"). A few more concrete measures are:
* More priority is put on knowledge of the Dutch language: parents who refuse to learn Dutch could lose the Flemish school bonus
* Separate religion and ethics classes in state schools (Flemish Community schools) will be replaced with a course on "interphilosophical dialogue"
* The property registration tax for buying a house will be lowered from 3% to 2%.
The total Flemish Government budget is €65 billion annually. The majority is spent on education (€ 19 billion) and welfare (€ 17 billion).