# Vooruit (political party)

Vooruit (Dutch: ; Dutch for Onward) is a Flemish social democratic political party in Belgium. It was known as the (Flemish) Socialist Party (1978–2001: Socialistische Partij, SP; 2001–2021: Socialistische Partij Anders, SP.A) until 21 March 2021, when its current name was adopted.
The party was founded following the linguistic split of the unitary Belgian Socialist Party in 1978, which also produced the Francophone Socialist Party. The Belgian Socialist Party itself consisted of former members of the Belgian Labour Party. From December 2011 to September 2014, the party was part of the Di Rupo Government, along with its Francophone counterpart. In 2020, it re-entered federal government as part of the De Croo Government. The party has been a part of the Flemish Government several times.

## History
### Since 1978

The party was the big winner in the 2003 election, running on the SP.A–Spirit joint list (cartel) with the social-liberal party Spirit. Their share of the vote went up from 9% (of the total Belgian vote) to almost 15%, a second place in the number of votes. The main victim of this resurgence was the Green! party (formerly known as Agalev). SP.A was part of the "purple" federal coalitions of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt from 12 July 1999 until 10 June 2007, which contained both the Flemish and Francophone liberal and social-democratic parties.
In 2004, the SP.A along with its partner Spirit lost the elections for the Flemish Parliament. Although they won more seats in comparison to the Flemish elections of 1999, their percentage of the vote compared to the successful 2003 federal elections was considerably down. The reputation of then party leader Steve Stevaert took a beating too.
The party was briefly led by Caroline Gennez, after former president Steve Stevaert left to become governor of Limburg. Johan Vande Lanotte, who served as Minister of the Budget in the federal Government, was elected President and resigned as minister to become President on 17 October 2005. He resigned 11 June 2007, after SP.A–Spirit lost the elections for the federal parliament of 10 June 2007. In these federal elections, the cartel won 14 out of 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives and 4 out of 40 seats in the Senate. Afterwards, Caroline Gennez was elected President by the party members.
As of May 2009, SP.A was in opposition in federal politics. Unlike its Francophone counterpart, the Socialist Party (PS), SP.A was not a participant in the Leterme II Government.
In January 2009, the party had apparently changed its name to Socialists and Progressive Differently (Dutch: Socialisten en Progressieven Anders). This name change was retracted and the party baseline was changed from Social Progressive Alternative (Dutch: Sociaal Progressief Alternatief) to Socialists and Progressive Differently (Dutch: Socialisten en Progressieven Anders).
In the 2010 federal election, SP.A won 13 seats with 9% of the overall vote. The party was a member of the Di Rupo Government formed on 6 December 2011, until the elections in 2014. In the elections for the Chamber of Representatives on 25 May 2014, SP.A scored again 9% and received 13 seats, in contrast to their francophone Socialist Party counterparts, who lost 3 seats and whose share of the vote decreased by 2%. In the Flemish Parliament, SP.A have 18 representatives, deriving from around 14% of the vote—this is a small reduction on the 2009 parliament, where SP.A had 19 seats, deriving from 15% of the popular vote. From 2009–2014, SP.A participated in the Flemish Government, in an uneasy coalition with the CD & V and the N-VA. From 2014 onwards, SP.A formed part of the opposition in Flanders, as the regional government reflected the Flemish component of the federal administration, consisting of coalition of the Open-VLD, CD & V and the N-VA.
In January 2018, the party advocated for a "new socialism" and a "new equality". In September 2020, party leader Conner Rousseau announced a renaming of the party to Vooruit ("Forward"). The new name was made official on 21 March 2021.

## Political views

Vooruit is a centre-left Flemish social democratic party. Equal opportunities and solidarity are central to the party. The party strives to ensure that those who earn the most or own the greatest wealth also pay the highest taxes so that the government can meet the needs of people who are less fortunate. Vooruit focuses on protecting the purchasing power of ordinary citizens. It opposes cuts in social security and advocates investment, especially in education and health care.

## Presidents

Presidents of the SP :
| Period | President |
| 1978–1989 | Karel Van Miert |
| 1989–1994 | Frank Vandenbroucke |
| 1994–1998 | Louis Tobback |
| 1998–1999 | Fred Erdman |
| 1999–2001 | Patrick Janssens |
Presidents of SP.A/Vooruit :
| Period | President | Vice-President |
| 2001–2003 | Patrick Janssens | |
| 2003–2005 | Steve Stevaert | Caroline Gennez |
| 2005 | Caroline Gennez (ad interim) | N/A |
| 2005–2007 | Johan Vande Lanotte | Caroline Gennez |
| 2007–2011 | Caroline Gennez | Dirk Van der Maelen |
| 2011–2015 | Bruno Tobback | Joke Quintens |
| 2015–2019 | John Crombez | Stephanie Van Houtven |
| 2019–2023 | Conner Rousseau | Funda Oru |
| 2023–present | Melissa Depraetere (ad interim) | Funda Oru |

## Members holding notable public offices
### European politics

European Parliament :
| Name | Committees |
| Kathleen Van Brempt | International Trade |

### Federal politics

Chamber of Representatives :
| Name | Notes | Name |
| Melissa Depraetere | Faction leader | Vicky Reynaert |
| Jan Bertels | | Ben Segers |
| Bert Moyaers | | Kris Verduyckt |
| Anja Vanrobaeys | | Joris Vandenbroucke |
| Karine Jiroflée | |
Senate :
| Type | Name | Notes |
| Co-opted Senator | Bert Anciaux | Faction leader |
| Community Senator | Kurt De Loor | |
| Community Senator | Katia Segers | |
| Community Senator | Annick Lambrecht | |
Belgian Federal De Croo Government :
| Public Office | Name | Function |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Frank Vandenbroucke | Social Affairs and Public Health |
| Minister | Meryame Kitir | Development Cooperation and Urban Policy |

### Regional politics

Flemish Parliament :
| Name | Notes | Name | Notes |
| Hannelore Goeman | Fraction Leader | Conner Rousseau | Party President |
| Kurt De Loor | Community Senator | Freya Van den Bossche | |
| Annick Lambrecht | Community Senator | Steve Vandenberghe | Mayor of Bredene |
| Maxim Veys | | Katia Segers | Community Senator |
| Bruno Tobback | | Caroline Gennez | |
| Hannes Anaf | | Els Robeyns | Mayor of Wellen |
| Ludwig Vandenhove | |
Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region :
* Name
* Fouad Ahidar
* Els Rochette [nl]
* Hilde Sabbe [nl]
Brussels Regional Government Vervoort II :
| Public Office | Name | Function |
| Minister | Pascal Smet | Urbanism, European and International Affairs, Foreign Trade, Fire Fighting and Emergency Medical Assistance |

### Provincial politics

Provincial Council :
| Province | Percentage | Seats |
| Antwerp | 12,80% | 10 / 72 |
| Limburg | 20,10%° | 13 / 63 |
| East Flanders | 12,70% | 9 / 72 |
| Flemish Brabant | 12,10% | 8 / 72 |
| West Flanders | 15,80% | 12 / 72 |
° In Limburg, SP.A formed a cartel with Groen.

## Election results
### Chamber of Representatives

| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Government |
| 1978 | 684,976 | 12.4 | 26 / 212 | | Coalition |
| 1981 | 744,593 | 12.4 | 26 / 212 | | Opposition |
| 1985 | 882,200 | 14.6 | 32 / 212 | 6 | Opposition |
| 1987 | 915,432 | 14.9 | 32 / 212 | 0 | Coalition |
| 1991 | 737,976 | 12.0 | 28 / 212 | 4 | Coalition |
| 1995 | 762,444 | 12.6 | 20 / 150 | 8 | Coalition |
| 1999 | 593,372 | 9.5 | 14 / 150 | 6 | Coalition |
| 2003* | 979,750 | 14.9 | 23 / 150 | 9 | Coalition |
| 2007 | 684,390 | 10.3 | 14 / 150 | 9 | Opposition |
| 2010 | 602,867 | 9.2 | 13 / 150 | 1 | Coalition |
| 2014 | 595,190 | 8.8 | 13 / 150 | 0 | Opposition |
| 2019 | 455,034 | 6.7 | 9 / 150 | 4 | External support (2020) |
| 2019 | 455,034 | 6.7 | 9 / 150 | 4 | Coalition (2020-2025) |
| 2024 | 566,436 | 8.1 | 13 / 150 | 4 | Coalition |

### Senate

| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
| 1978 | 678,776 | 12.4 | 13 / 106 | |
| 1981 | 732,126 | 12.3 | 13 / 106 | 0 |
| 1985 | 868,624 | 14.5 | 16 / 106 | 3 |
| 1987 | 896,294 | 14.7 | 17 / 106 | 1 |
| 1991 | 730,274 | 11.9 | 14 / 106 | 3 |
| 1995 | 792,941 | 13.2 | 6 / 40 | 8 |
| 1999 | 550,657 | 8.9 | 4 / 40 | 2 |
| 2003 | 1,013,560 | 15.5 | 7 / 40 | 3 |
| 2007 | 665,342 | 10.0 | 4 / 40 | 3 |
| 2010 | 613,079 | 9.5 | 4 / 40 | 0 |

### Regional
#### Brussels Parliament

| Election | Votes | % | % | Seats | +/- | Government |
| Election | Votes | D.E.C. | Overall | Seats | +/- | Government |
| 1995 | 11,710 | | 2.7 (#9) | 2 / 75 | | Coalition |
| 1995 | 9,987 | | 2.4 (#9) | 2 / 75 | 0 | Coalition |
| 1999 | 13,223 | 21.8 (#4) | 3.1 (#8) | 2 / 75 | 0 | Coalition |
| 2004 | 11,052 | 17.7 (#3) | 2.4 (#8) | 3 / 89 | 1 | Coalition |
| 2009 | 10,085 | 19.5 (#2) | 2.2 (#6) | 4 / 89 | 1 | Opposition |
| 2014 | 10,450 | 19.5 (#2) | 2.3 (#8) | 3 / 89 | 1 | Coalition |
| 2019 | 10,540 | 15.1 (#3) | 2.3 (#10) | 3 / 89 | 0 | Coalition |
| 2024 | 8,045 | 10.0 (#6) | 1.6 (#11) | 2 / 89 | 1 | TBA |

#### Flemish Parliament

| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/- | Government |
| 1995 | 733,703 | 19.4 (#3) | 25 / 124 | | Coalition |
| 1999 | 582,419 | 15.0 (#4) | 19 / 124 | 6 | Coalition |
| 2004 | 799,325 | 19.7 (#4) | 22 / 124 | 3 | Coalition |
| 2009 | 627,852 | 15.3 (#3) | 19 / 124 | 3 | Coalition |
| 2014 | 587,903 | 14.0 (#4) | 18 / 124 | 1 | Opposition |
| 2019 | 438,589 | 10.3 (#5) | 13 / 124 | 5 | Opposition |
| 2024 | 606,406 | 13.8 (#3) | 18 / 124 | 5 | Coalition |

### European Parliament

| Election | List leader | Votes | % | % | Seats | +/- | EP Group |
| Election | List leader | Votes | D.E.C. | Overall | Seats | +/- | EP Group |
| 1979 | Karel Van Miert | 698,889 | 20.90 (#2) | 12.84 | 3 / 24 | New | SOC |
| 1984 | Karel Van Miert | 979,702 | 28.13 (#2) | 17.12 | 4 / 24 | 1 | SOC |
| 1989 | Marc Galle | 733,242 | 20.04 (#2) | 12.43 | 3 / 24 | 1 | SOC |
| 1994 | Freddy Willockx | 651,371 | 17.63 (#3) | 10.92 | 3 / 25 | 0 | PES |
| 1999 | Frank Vandenbroucke | 550,237 | 14.21 (#4) | 8.89 | 2 / 25 | 1 | PES |
| 2004 | Mia De Vits | 716,317 | 17.83 (#3) | 11.04 | 3 / 24 | 1 | PES |
| 2009 | Kathleen Van Brempt | 539,393 | 13.23 (#4) | 8.21 | 2 / 22 | 1 | S&D |
| 2014 | Kathleen Van Brempt | 555,354 | 13.18 (#4) | 8.30 | 1 / 21 | 1 | S&D |
| 2019 | Kathleen Van Brempt | 434,002 | 10.21 (#6) | 6.45 | 1 / 21 | 0 | S&D |
| 2024 | Bruno Tobback | 570,067 | 12.64 (#4) | 8.47 | 2 / 22 | 1 | S&D |

## Symbols

* 2001–2010
* 2010–2018
* 2018–2021
* 2021–