Reformist Movement

Template:Short description Template:For Template:Infobox political party The Reformist Movement<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> (Template:Langx, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, MR) is a liberal<ref name="Nordsieck">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="almeida">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="HayMenon2007">Template:Cite book</ref> French-speaking political party in Belgium, which includes social-liberal<ref name="chardon1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="lesoir1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Almeida2012">Template:Cite book</ref> and conservative-liberal factions.<ref name="Slomp2011">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="StarkeKaasch2013">Template:Cite book</ref> Stemming from the Belgian Liberal Party founded in 1846, the MR is one of the oldest parties on the European continent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Since October 2014, the party has provided two prime ministers: Charles Michel and Sophie Wilmès. It has been a member of every federal government since the 2000s. At the federated entities level, the MR was in charge of Wallonia from 2017 to 2019 with Willy Borsus as Minister-President of Wallonia. It is currently in charge of the French community with Pierre-Yves Jeholet as Minister-President of the French community.

The MR emerged victorious from the 2024 elections, becoming the leading French-speaking party. In Wallonia, the party came out on top with 29.6% of the vote. In Brussels, the MR also placed first, with 25.9% of the vote. Just a few days after the elections, the MR announced it would work closely with Les Engagés to quickly form governments in the Walloon Region and the French community.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Having a majority on the French-speaking side of the Federal parliament, they joined forces to work on the formation of a new Belgian government.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The MR is an alliance between three French-speaking and one German-speaking liberal parties. The Liberal Reformist Party (PRL) and the Francophone Democratic Federalists (FDF) started the alliance in 1993, and were joined in 1998 by the Citizens' Movement for Change (MCC). The alliance was then known as the PRL-FDF-MCC federation. The alliance became the MR during a congress in 2002, where the German-speaking liberal party, the Party for Freedom and Progress joined as well.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The label PRL is no longer used, and the three other parties still use their own names. The MR is a member of Liberal International and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party. However, on 25 September 2011, the FDF decided to leave the coalition. They did not agree with the manner in which president Charles Michel defended the rights of the French-speaking people in the agreement concerning the splitting of the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde district, during the 2010–11 Belgian government formation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Ideology and policiesEdit

Over the years, the MR has always oscillated between ideological markers closer to conservative liberalism or social liberalism. Its fundamental principles remain however the same through time, such as defending civil liberties, free market, entrepreneurial freedom, and equal opportunities.

During Georges-Louis Bouchez's tenure as party president, the party is said to have shifted further to the right,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> aligning more with far-right.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Bouchez has for example often publicly pointed out some excesses of the woke movement<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and he welcomed former members of the far-right Chez Nous party to the MR.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On its current platform, the party advocates higher revenues through lower taxes; time-limited unemployment benefits; life extension of the most recent nuclear reactors; greater investment in police, justice and defense; less government and state neutrality.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> MR is "belgicain", in favor of Belgian unity and a strong federal state.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Foreign policyEdit

The MR is also a strong supporter of the European Union and NATO.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It has always defended support, including military aid, for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022. In 2024, the MR was the only party from De Croo Government to be opposed to Belgium recognizing the State of Palestine.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

PresidentsEdit

2002–2003: Daniel Ducarme
2003–2004: Antoine Duquesne
2004–2011: Didier Reynders
2011–2014: Charles Michel
2014–2019: Olivier Chastel
2019: Charles Michel
2019–present: Georges-Louis Bouchez

Representation in EU InstitutionsEdit

In the European Parliament, Mouvement Réformateur sits in the Renew Europe group with three MEPs: Sophie Wilmès, Olivier Chastel and Benoit Cassart.

In the European Committee of the Regions, Mouvement Réformateur sits in the Renew Europe CoR group, with one full and one alternate member for the 2020-2025 mandate.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Willy Borsus is second vice-president of the Renew Europe CoR Group.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Election resultsEdit

Chamber of RepresentativesEdit

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/-	Government
1995	623,250	10.3	Template:Composition bar		Template:No2
1999	630,219	10.1	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:Yes2
2003	748,954	11.4	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 6	Template:Yes2
2007	835,073	12.5	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:Yes2
2010	605,617	9.3	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 5	Template:Yes2
2014	650,260	9.6	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 2	Template:Yes2
2019	512,825	7.6	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 6	Template:Yes2
2024	716,934	10.3	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 6	Template:Yes2

SenateEdit

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/-
1995	672,798	11.2	Template:Composition bar
1999	654,961	10.6	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady 0
2003	795,757	12.2	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady 0
2007	815,755	12.3	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 1
2010	599,618	9.3	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 2

RegionalEdit

Brussels ParliamentEdit

Election	Votes	%		Seats	+/-	Government
Election	Votes	Template:Abbr	Overall	Seats	+/-	Government
1989	83,011		18.9 (#2)	Template:Composition bar		Template:No2
1995	144,478		35.0 (#1)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 13	Template:Yes2
1999	146,845	40.1 (#1)	34.4 (#1)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:Yes2
2004	127,122	32.5 (#2)	28.0 (#2)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 2	Template:No2
2009	121,905	29.8 (#1)	26.5 (#1)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:No2
2014	94,227	23.0 (#2)	20.4 (#2)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 6	Template:No2
2019	65,502	16.9 (#3)	14.3 (#3)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 5	Template:No2
2024	101,157	26.0 (#1)		Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 7	Template:Tba

Walloon ParliamentEdit

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/-	Government
1995	447,542	23.7 (#2)	Template:Composition bar		Template:No2
1999	470,454	24.7 (#2)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 2	Template:Yes2
2004	478,999	24.3 (#2)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:No2
2009	469,792	23.1 (#2)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	Template:No2
2014	546,363	26.7 (#2)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 6	Template:No2
2019	435,878	21.4 (#2)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 5	Template:Yes2
2024	612.010	29.1 (#1)	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 6	Template:Yes2

European ParliamentEdit

Election	List leader	Votes	%		Seats	+/-	EP Group
Election	List leader	Votes	Template:Abbr	Overall	Seats	+/-	EP Group
1979	André Damseaux	372,904	17.76 (#4)	6.85	Template:Composition bar	New	LD
1984	Daniel Ducarme	540,610	24.14 (#2)	9.45	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 1	LDR
1989	François-Xavier de Donnea	423,479	18.90 (#2)	7.18	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	LDR
1994 Template:Efn	Jean Gol	541,724	24.25 (#2)	9.08	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady 0	ELDR
1999 Template:Efn	Daniel Ducarme	624,445	26.99 (#1)	10.03	Template:Composition bar	Template:Steady 0	ELDR
2004	Louis Michel	671,422	27.58 (#2)	10.35	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 1	ALDE
2009		640,092	26.05 (#2)	9.74	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1
2014		661,332	27.10 (#2)	9.88	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 1
2019	Olivier Chastel	470,654	19.29 (#3)	7.06	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 1	RE
2024	Sophie Wilmès	900,413	34.88 (#1)	12.62	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 1	RE