Minority government

The concept

A minority government is an executive that does not hold an absolute majority of seats in parliament. It governs by seeking shifting majorities depending on the issue, sometimes with the explicit support of one or more parties without government participation (support agreement), sometimes on a case-by-case basis.

This model is common in Scandinavian democracies: in Denmark, the majority of governments since 1945 have been minority governments. In Sweden and Norway, it is also a regular practice. In Canada, several federal governments have operated as minorities.

Why this model is being discussed for Brussels

Faced with the impossibility of forming a classical majority coalition, some observers raise the possibility that a group of parties could form a government without reaching an absolute majority. The idea would be to break the deadlock by accepting a more fragile but functional executive.

How it works in Scandinavia

The Danish model

In Denmark, the Folketing (parliament) operates on the principle of negative parliamentarism: a government can be formed as long as there is no majority against it. It does not need a positive vote of confidence to take office.

This system relies on:

• Support agreements (stotteaftaler) with parties outside the government
• A political culture of compromise and permanent negotiation
• Strong parliamentary committees that prepare legislation in advance

Source: Folketinget — The Danish parliamentary system, accessed 7 February 2026.

The Swedish and Norwegian model

In Sweden, minority governments regularly negotiate budgets with opposition parties. In Norway, the system works similarly, with a tradition of minority governments that rely on ad hoc agreements.

Source: Riksdagen — The Swedish Parliament, accessed 7 February 2026.

Why this has never been done in Belgium

Belgium has no tradition of minority government, either at the federal or regional level. Several structural reasons explain this absence:

1. Coalition culture: the Belgian political system is based on detailed, written coalition agreements. Governing without a comprehensive policy agreement is perceived as an unacceptable risk.
2. Party fragmentation: with 6 to 8 significant parties in each linguistic group, a minority government would need to convince several opposition parties at each vote.
3. No negative parliamentarism: although the Belgian Constitution does not explicitly prohibit it, established practice requires a positive vote of confidence.

Source: Crisp — Centre for Socio-Political Research and Information, accessed 7 February 2026.

The specific problem of Brussels: the dual linguistic majority

The main obstacle to a minority government in Brussels is the dual linguistic majority. Under the Special Act of 12 January 1989, certain decisions require a majority in each of the two linguistic groups (francophone and Dutch-speaking).

With only 17 seats in the Dutch-speaking group (out of 89 in total), obtaining shifting majorities in this group is extremely difficult. A minority government would need to negotiate separately with Flemish parties for each sensitive issue — a constraint that does not exist in the Scandinavian systems.

Source: Special Act of 12 January 1989 on Brussels Institutions, accessed 7 February 2026.

Legal basis

The Belgian Constitution does not explicitly require that a government hold an absolute majority. Article 96 (federal level) and the Special Act of 1989 (Brussels level) provide for a vote of confidence, but do not specify the threshold in a way that would exclude a minority government.

In theory, a government could obtain a vote of confidence with a simple majority of the parliamentarians present, without holding an absolute majority of seats. However, this interpretation has never been tested in practice.

In summary

The minority government is a proven model in other European democracies, but it presupposes a political culture of permanent compromise and negative parliamentarism that does not exist in Belgium. The Brussels dual linguistic majority adds a layer of complexity that makes this scenario particularly difficult, without rendering it theoretically impossible.