Home > 4.4 Departmental/provincial elections > BELGIUM - Extracts of the Constitution
 
 
 
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Article 162
 

Provincial and communal institutions are governed by the law.

 

The law applies the following principles:

 

1°) the direct election of provincial and of communal Council members;

 

2°) the attribution to provincial and communal Councils all that which is in the provincial or communal interest, without prejudice to the approval of their actions in cases and following that manner determined by law;

 

3°) the decentralization of attributions in favor of provincial and communal institutions;

 

4°) the publicizing of provincial and communal Council meetings within the limits established by law;

 

5°) the publicizing of accounts and budgets;

 

6°) the intervention of overseeing authorities or of the federal legislative power, to prevent violations of the law or harm to public interests.

 

In application of a law adopted by majority vote as described in Article 4, last paragraph, the organization and application of administrative overseeing may be determined by Community or Regional Councils.

 

In application of a law adopted by majority vote as described in Article 4, last paragraph, the decree or the ruling described in Article 134 establishes the conditions and the manner in which several provinces or communes may associate themselves or co-operate. However, the convening of several provincial or communal Councils for joint deliberation may not be allowed.