Editing Wallonia (section)

==Politics and government==
[[File:Di_Rupo_cropped.jpg|thumb|[[Elio Di Rupo]] was the [[Minister-President of Wallonia]] from 2019 till 2024.]]
[[File:La Citadelle de Namur.JPG|thumb|The [[Parliament of Wallonia]] in [[Namur]] (in pink), at a symbolic place at the confluence of the [[Meuse]] and [[Sambre]] rivers. Two-thirds of the population of Wallonia lives along the [[Sambre and Meuse valley]].]]
{{main|Politics of Wallonia|Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium}}

Belgium is a [[federal state]] made up of three communities and three regions, each with considerable autonomy. One of these is the Walloon Region, which is governed by the [[Parliament of Wallonia]] and the executive [[Government of Wallonia]]. The Walloon Region's autonomy extends even to foreign policy; Wallonia is entitled to pursue its own foreign policy, including the signing of treaties, and in many domains, even the Belgian federal government is not able to sign an international treaty without the agreement of the Parliament of Wallonia.

Wallonia is also home to about 80 per cent of the population of the [[French Community of Belgium]], a political level responsible for matters related mainly to culture and education, with the remainder living in [[Brussels]]. Wallonia is also home to the small [[German-speaking Community of Belgium]] in the east, which has its own government and parliament for culture-related issues. Although in [[Flanders]], the [[Flemish Region]] assigned all of its powers to the [[Flemish Community]], the Walloon Region remains in principle distinct from and independent from the French Community, and vice versa. Despite this, the [[Parliament of the French Community|French Community's parliament]] is almost entirely composed of members of Wallonia's and Brussels' parliaments, so the bodies are governed by the same individuals. Additionally, the French Community of Belgium has controversially begun referring to itself exclusively as the 'Wallonia-Brussels Federation' to emphasize the links between the French Community, Wallonia and Brussels.

The Walloon Region has a [[unicameral parliament]] with 75 members elected for five years by direct [[universal suffrage]], and an executive, the [[Government of Wallonia]], elected by a political majority in Parliament. The Government has nine members with the president. Each member is called a ''Walloon minister''. The head of the Government is called the [[Minister-President of Wallonia]]. The coalition government for the 2014–2019 legislature was a centre-left coalition [[Parti Socialiste (Belgium)|PS]]-[[cdH]] until July 28 when it was replaced by a centre-left coalition MR-cdH. The current Minister-President is [[Elio Di Rupo]].

===History of Walloon autonomy===
{{main|Walloon Movement|History of the Walloon Movement}}
Following several [[State reform in Belgium|state reforms]], especially the 1993 state reform, Belgium became a federal state made up of three communities and three regions, with Wallonia being represented by the Walloon Region and its two language communities. The directly elected Walloon Parliament was created in June 1995, replacing the ''Conseil régional wallon'' (Regional Council of Wallonia). The first Council had sat on 15 October 1980 and was composed of members of the [[Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)|Belgian Chamber of Representatives]] and the [[Belgian Senate]] elected in Wallonia.

===Political landscape===
Wallonia is considered to be [[left-wing]] politically, in contrast to Flanders, which is more right-wing.<ref name="e352">{{cite web | title=Getting to know Belgian politics: the traditional pillars versus left and right | website=belganewsagency.eu | date=2024-01-03 | url=https://www.belganewsagency.eu/getting-to-know-belgian-politics-the-traditional-pillars-versus-left-and-right-1 | access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref> The region has been described as one of the few places in Europe without a significant [[right-wing populism]] presence.<ref name="n010">{{cite journal | last=de Jonge | first=Léonie | title=The Curious Case of Belgium: Why is There no Right-Wing Populism in Wallonia? | url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/05D6B4081B60B2D7318809C228791575/S0017257X20000081a.pdf/the-curious-case-of-belgium-why-is-there-no-right-wing-populism-in-wallonia.pdf | journal=Government and Opposition | volume=56 | issue=4 | date=2021 | issn=0017-257X | doi=10.1017/gov.2020.8 | pages=598–614}}</ref><ref name="b581">{{cite web | last=Kasteel | first=Jean van | title=The Walloons do not send any far-right elected officials either to the Region, nor to the Federal, nor to Europe | website=DHnet | date=2024-06-11 | url=https://www.dhnet.be/actu/belgique/2024/06/11/les-wallons-nenvoient-aucun-elu-dextreme-droite-ni-a-la-region-ni-au-federal-ni-a-leurope-MLW7OZWL7JFAVABFA4VWHEJKN4/ | language=fr | access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref> In Wallonia, there is a [[cordon sanitaire (politics)|cordon sanitaire]] in the media, where [[far-right]] politicians are banned from interviews and live appearances.<ref name="o684">{{cite web | last=Joyner | first=Ella | title=Belgian election tests limits of media's far-right boycott – DW – 06/04/2024 | website=dw.com | date=2024-06-04 | url=https://www.dw.com/en/belgian-election-tests-limits-of-medias-far-right-boycott/a-69161435 | access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref><ref name="y238">{{cite web | title=Belgium's far right struggles to break through media ban | website=www.euractiv.com | date=2024-05-06 | url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/elections/news/belgiums-far-right-struggles-to-break-through-media-ban/ | access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref> The ban has also affected more mainstream right-wing parties such as the [[N-VA]].<ref name="r906">{{cite web | first1=Jeroen | last1=Struys | first2=Peter |last2=De Lobel | title=N-VA-kandidaat in Wallonië in de ban geslagen: waarom er rechts van MR geen zuurstof is over de taalgrens | website=De Standaard | date=2024-03-25 | url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20240324_97085493 | language=nl | access-date=2024-06-12}}</ref>