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Giovannino Guareschi

2025-10-18T12:48:36Z

2A02:8012:227B:0:B5AA:845B:928:BCF0:

{{Short description|Italian journalist, cartoonist, and humorist (1908–1968)}}
{{Expand Italian|topic=bio|Giovannino Guareschi|date=May 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox writer 
| name = Giovannino Guareschi
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the Crown of Italy|OCI]]
| image = Giovannino Guareschi.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption =
| birth_name = Giovannino Oliviero Giuseppe Guareschi
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1908|5|1|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Roccabianca]], [[Emilia (region)|Emilia]], [[Kingdom of Italy]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1968|7|22|1908|5|1|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Cervia]], [[Romagna]], Italy
| resting_place = Church of St. Michael Archangel, [[Le Roncole]], [[Busseto]]
| occupation = {{flatlist|
*Writer
*journalist
*caricaturist
*humorist
*movie director
}}
| genre = {{flatlist|
*[[Political satire]]
*[[war novel]]
*[[short story]]
}}
| notableworks = {{flatlist|
*Creation of character [[Don Camillo]]
*''[[La rabbia]]''
*[[anti-communist]] cartoons
}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Ennia Pallini|1940}}
| children = 2
| website = {{URL|giovanninoguareschi.com}}
}}

'''Giovannino Oliviero Giuseppe Guareschi''' ({{IPA|it|dʒovanˈniːno ɡwaˈreski|lang}}; 1 May 1908 – 22 July 1968) was an Italian journalist, cartoonist, and humorist whose best known creation is the priest [[Don Camillo and Peppone|Don Camillo]].

==Life and career==
Guareschi was born into a middle-class family in [[Roccabianca|Fontanelle di Roccabianca]], in the [[province of Parma]], in 1908.<ref name="pdom">{{cite book|author1=Roy P. Domenico|author2=Mark Y. Hanley|title=Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z8ZixRcQfV8C&pg=PA260|access-date=24 July 2015|date=1 January 2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-32362-1|page=260}}</ref> He always joked about the fact that he, a big man, was baptized Giovannino, a name meaning "little John" or "Johnny". In 1926, his family went bankrupt and he could not continue his studies at the [[University of Parma]]. After working at various minor jobs, he started to write for a local newspaper, the ''[[Gazzetta di Parma]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Don Camillo|url=http://www.easyreaders.eu/books/don-camillo-.aspx?tab=1|access-date=21 May 2016|work=Easy Readers}}</ref> In 1929, he became editor of the satirical magazine ''Corriere Emiliano'', and from 1936 to 1943 was the chief editor of a similar magazine called ''[[Bertoldo]]''.<ref name="pdom" />

In 1943, Guareschi was drafted into the army, which apparently helped him to avoid trouble with the [[Italian Fascist]] authorities.<ref name="pdom" /> He ended up as an [[artillery]] officer. When Italy signed the [[armistice of Cassibile]] with the Allies in 1943, he was arrested as an [[Italian military internee]] and imprisoned with other Italian soldiers in camps in [[Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany|German-occupied Poland]] for almost two years, including at [[Stalag X-B]] near [[Sandbostel]]. He later wrote about this period in ''Diario Clandestino'' (''My Secret Diary'').

[[File:Giovannino Guareschi nel 1945 (2).jpg|thumb|left|Guareschi in 1945]]
After the war, Guareschi returned to Italy and in 1945 founded a [[monarchist]] weekly satirical magazine, ''[[Candido (magazine)|Candido]]''.<ref name=pdom/> After Italy became a republic, he supported the [[Christian Democracy (Italy)|Christian Democracy]] party. He criticized and satirized the [[Italian Communist Party]] in his magazine, famously drawing a Communist as a man with an extra [[nostril]], and coining a slogan that became very popular: "Inside the voting booth God can see you, Stalin can't." When the Communists were defeated in the [[1948 Italian general election]], Guareschi did not put his pen down but also criticized the Christian Democracy party.

In 1950, ''Candido'' published a satirical cartoon by Carlo Manzoni poking fun at [[Luigi Einaudi]], the then president of the Republic. The President is at the Quirinal Palace, surrounded by, instead of the presidential guard of honour (the ''[[Cuirassiers Regiment (Italy)|corazzieri]]''), giant bottles of [[Nebbiolo]] wine, which Einaudi actually produced on his land in Dogliani. Each bottle was labeled with the institutional logo. The cartoon was judged "in contempt of the President" by a court at the time. Guareschi, as the director of the magazine, was held responsible and sentenced.

In 1954, Guareschi was charged with [[libel]] after he published two facsimile wartime letters from resistance leader and former Prime Minister [[Alcide De Gasperi]] requesting that the [[Allies of World War II]] bomb the outskirts of [[Rome]] in order to demoralize Nazi German collaborators. The legitimacy of the letters was never established by the court; after a two-month trial, it found in favour of De Gasperi. Guareschi declined to appeal the verdict and spent 409 days in [[Parma]]'s San Francesco jail, and another six months on probation at his home.<ref>Perry, 19-20</ref>

His most famous comic creations are his short stories, begun in the late 1940s, about the rivalry between [[Don Camillo]], a stalwart Italian priest, and the equally hot-headed Peppone, Communist mayor of a [[Po River]] Valley village in the "Little World". These stories were dramatized on radio, television and in films, most notably in the series of films featuring [[Fernandel]] as Don Camillo.

By 1956, Guareschi's health had deteriorated and he began spending time in [[Switzerland]] for treatment. In 1957, he retired as editor of ''Candido'' but remained a contributor. He died in [[Cervia]] in 1968 of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at the age of 60.

==Selected bibliography==
*''La scoperta di Milano'' (1941)
*''Il destino si chiama Clotilde'' (1943)
*''Il marito in collegio'' (1944)
*''Favola di natale'' (1945)
*''Diario clandestino, 1943-1945'' (1946)
*''Italia provvisoria'' (1947)
*''Lo zibaldino'' (1948)
*''Corrierino delle famiglie'' (1954)
*''Vita in famiglia'' (1968)

===Published English translations===
* ''The Little World of Don Camillo'' (1950)
* ''Don Camillo and his Flock'' (in US); ''Don Camillo and the Prodigal Son'' (in UK) (1952)
* ''The House That Nino Built'' (1953)
* ''Don Camillo's Dilemma'' (1954)
* ''Don Camillo Takes the Devil by the Tail'' (in US); ''Don Camillo and the Devil'' (in UK) (1957)
* ''My Secret Diary'' (1958)
* ''Comrade Don Camillo'' (1964)
* ''My Home, Sweet Home'' (1966)
* ''A Husband in a Boarding School'' (1967)
* ''Duncan & Clotilda: An Extravaganza with a Long Digression'' (1968)
* ''Don Camillo Meets the Flower Children'' (in US); ''Don Camillo Meets Hell's Angels'' (in UK) (1969)
* ''The Family Guareschi: Chronicles of the Past and Present'' (1970)

===Pilot Productions authorised complete English-language edition of Don Camillo stories===

The Guareschi family only discovered after 1980 that the original English language publishers made unauthorised cuts in the [[Don Camillo]] stories, only publishing 132 of the original 347 Italian stories. After an approach from Piers Dudgeon of Pilot Productions, the family authorised him to publish uncut translations into English of all the original 347 stories.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Guareschi|first1=Giovanni|title=The Complete Little World of Don Camillo, ''Biographical Afterword by Piers Dudgeon'', pp. 240-241|date=2013|publisher=Pilot Productions|isbn=978-1900064071|location=Sawdon, North Yorkshire}}</ref> The copyright is vested in the family, and the books published so far are as follows:

* No. 1: ''The Complete Little World of Don Camillo'' (2013) {{ISBN|978-1900064071}}
* No. 2: ''Don Camillo and His Flock'' (2015) {{ISBN|978-1900064187}}
* No. 3: ''Don Camillo and Peppone'' (2016) {{ISBN|978-1900064262}}
* No. 4: ''Comrade Don Camillo'' (2017) {{ISBN|978-1900064330}}
* No. 5: ''Don Camillo and Company'' (2018) {{ISBN|978-1900064408}}
* No. 6: ''Don Camillo's Dilemma'' (2019) {{ISBN|978-1900064477}}
* No. 7: ''Don Camillo Takes the Devil by the Tail'' (2020) {{ISBN|978-1900064514}}
* No. 8: ''Don Camillio and Don Chichi'' (2021) {{ISBN|978-1900064569}}
* No. 9: ''Merry Christmas Don Camillo'' (2022) {{ISBN|978-1900064590}}
* No. 10: ''Don Camillo of La Bassa'' (2023) {{ISBN|978-1900064651}}
* No. 11: ''Ciao Don Camillo'', Volume One (2024) {{ISBN|978-1900064675}}
* No. 12: ''Ciao Don Camillo'', Volume Two (2025) {{ISBN|978-1900064699}}

==Filmography==
*''[[La rabbia]]'', 1963. Co-[[Film director|director]] with [[Pier Paolo Pasolini]].

===Filmography about ''Don Camillo''===
[[File:Don Camillo Peppone il ritorno.jpg|thumb|Scene from the film ''[[Don Camillo: Monsignor]]'' (1961)]]
*''[[Little World of Don Camillo]]'' – ''Don Camillo'' (1952)
*''[[The Return of Don Camillo]]'' – ''Il ritorno di Don Camillo'' (1953)
*''[[Don Camillo's Last Round]]'' – ''Don Camillo e l'onorevole Peppone'' (1955)
*''[[Don Camillo: Monsignor]]'' – ''Don Camillo Monsignore... ma non troppo!'' (1961)
*''[[Don Camillo in Moscow]]'' – ''Il compagno Don Camillo'' (1965)
*''[[Don Camillo and the today's youth (1970)|Don Camillo and the today's youth]]'' – ''Don Camillo e i giovani d'oggi'' (1970), unfinished project
*''[[Don Camillo and the today's youth (1972)|Don Camillo and the today's youth]]'' – ''Don Camillo e i giovani d'oggi'' (1972)
*''[[The World of Don Camillo]]'' – ''Don Camillo'' (1983), remake by [[Terence Hill]] and [[Colin Blakely]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book |last=Perry |first=Alan R. |title=The Don Camillo Stories of Giovanni Guareschi |year=2008 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto }}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://www.giovanninoguareschi.com/ Tutto il mondo di Guareschi (Official Site)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080706132207/http://openlettersmonthly.com/issue/january-river-mountain/ A review] of ''Little World of Don Camillo'' at Open Letters Monthly
*[http://www.mondoguareschi.com/ World of Giovannino Guareschi]
*[http://www.mondopiccologuareschi.com/ Virtual Travel in the Little World of Guareschi]

{{Bancarella Prize}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guareschi, Giovanni}}
[[Category:Giovannino Guareschi| ]]
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1968 deaths]]
[[Category:University of Parma alumni]]
[[Category:Writers from the Province of Parma]]
[[Category:Italian male novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian male writers]]
[[Category:Italian male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian short story writers]]
[[Category:Italian male short story writers]]
[[Category:Italian satirical novelists]]
[[Category:Italian satirists]]
[[Category:Italian caricaturists]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian illustrators]]
[[Category:Italian magazine founders]]
[[Category:Christian novelists]]
[[Category:Italian anti-communists]]
[[Category:Italian monarchists]]
[[Category:Royal Italian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Bancarella Prize winners]]

Guido Cantelli

2025-10-18T11:20:31Z

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{{Short description|Italian conductor (1920–1956)}}
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'''Guido Cantelli''' ({{IPA|it|ˈɡwi.do kanˈtɛl.li|lang}}; 27 April 1920{{spaced ndash}}24 November 1956) was an Italian orchestral [[conducting|conductor]]. [[Toscanini]] elected him his "spiritual heir" since the beginnings of his career.<ref name="treccani1"/> He was named Music Director of [[La Scala|La Scala, Milan]] in November 1956, but his promising career was cut short only one week later by his death at the age of 36 in the [[1956 Paris DC-6 crash]] in [[France]] en route to the United States.<ref>{{ASN accident|title= I-LEAD|id= 19561124-1|accessdate= 2017-26-5}}</ref>

==Biography==
===Early years===
Cantelli was born on 27 April 1920 in [[Novara]], [[Italy]], to Antonio and Angela ([[née]] Riccardone).<ref name="treccani1">{{cite web|title=CANTELLI, Guido|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/guido-cantelli_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/|publisher=[[Enciclopedia italiana|Enciclopedia italiana Dizionario Biografico]]|year=|access-date=July 6, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210706121114/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/guido-cantelli_(Dizionario-Biografico)/|archive-date=July 6, 2021}}</ref> He started studying music while still very young. From 1939 until 1941 he studied with [[Arrigo Pedrollo]], and then, from 1941 until 1942, with [[Giorgio Federico Ghedini]] and [[Antonino Votto]]. In 1940 he started his conducting career, graduating from the Milan Conservatory in 1943.<ref name="treccani1"/>

===Career===
Cantelli studied at the [[Milan Conservatory]] and began a promising conducting career. In 1943, he garnered acclaim for a representation of the ''[[Traviata]]'' at the [[Teatro Coccia]]. Besides being the conductor, Cantelli was also the artistic director of the representation.<ref name="treccani1"/>

Cantelli's career was interrupted by [[World War II]], during which he was forced to serve in the Italian army, and then placed in a German labour camp because of his outspoken opposition to the [[Nazi]]s. He was sent with a team of labourers to [[Frankfurt am Main]]. While in Germany, Cantelli was interned in a [[concentration camp]] in [[Szczecin]]. He fell ill and managed to escape the camp. Cantelli was repatriated to Italy in 1944, establishing himself in [[Turin]].<ref name="treccani1"/> He resumed his musical career after the Allies liberated Italy.<ref name="treccani3">{{cite web|last=Pironti|first=Alberto|title=CANTELLI, Guido|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/guido-cantelli_%28Enciclopedia-Italiana%29/|publisher=[[Enciclopedia italiana]]|year=1961|access-date=July 6, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210706150615/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/guido-cantelli_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/|archive-date=July 6, 2021}}</ref>

After resuming his musical career in Turin, Cantelli was invited to conduct some concerts with the Symphony Orchestra of the Radio of Milan (''Orchestra sinfonica della Radio di Milano''). [[Riccardo Pick-Mangiagalli]], the director of the Milan Conservatory, decided it was the moment to present the young conductor to the wide public, organizing a concert at the Rocchetta Court of the [[Castello Sforzesco]] on 27 July 1945, entrusting to Cantelli the [[La Scala|Orchestra of La Scala]]. The programme was very proving, and included, among other things, [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]'s [[Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky)|Symphony No. 6]], or ''Pathétique Symphony''. The performance immediately signalled Cantelli's "innate elegance of the gesture, the interpretative strength and stylistic purity, which, animated by the youthful momentum of the young conductor, made a great impression on the public."<ref name="treccani1"/>

[[File:Iris Cantelli, Arturo Toscanini, Guido Cantelli.jpg|thumb|250px|Iris Cantelli, [[Arturo Toscanini]] (center), and Guido Cantelli (right). Toscanini considered Guido Cantelli his natural heir.]]
After the success of the Castello Sforzesco concert, a successful international career started for Cantelli. This career would bring him to the major stages of the world, where he would conduct the world's most famous orchestras. He was acclaimed by the public and the critics alike. However, in spite of all the compliments and the success, Cantelli's attention was not diverted from his studies. He kept on studying with "scrupulous commitment and professionalism," encouraged by the great [[Arturo Toscanini]].<ref name="treccani1"/> Toscanini saw him conduct at [[La Scala|La Scala, Milan]], and remained impressed. The results of these stylistic studies by Cantelli maturated on 21 May 1948, with a concert that, in a way, "marked his definitive [[La Scala|Scaliger]] consecration and at the same time his authoritative entry into the small number of great international conductors."<ref name="treccani1"/> Toscanini invited him to guest conduct the [[NBC Symphony Orchestra]] in 1949.<ref name="treccani1"/> In a note written to Cantelli's wife Iris in 1950 after four of these concerts, Toscanini said:

<blockquote>
I am happy and moved to inform you of Guido's great success and that I introduced him to my orchestra, which loves him as I do. This is the first time in my long career that I have met a young man so gifted. He will go far, very far.<ref>Sachs, Harvey, ''Toscanini'', New York: J.B. Lippincott, 1978. {{ISBN|0-397-01320-5}}</ref>
</blockquote>

He debuted in America on 15 January 1949, with a "most positive encounter with the New Yorker public". On 3 January 1952 he was welcomed again by the American public, conducting the [[New York Philharmonic]].<ref name="treccani1"/> Between these two dates, he had been welcomed in [[Edinburgh]] (1950), and had completed an acclaimed ''tournée'' in [[London]].<ref name="treccani1"/>

Cantelli, who had started his career very young in 1940,<ref name="treccani">{{cite web|title=Cantèlli, Guido|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/guido-cantelli/|publisher=[[Enciclopedia italiana]]|year=|access-date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707000446/https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/guido-cantelli/|archive-date=7 July 2017}}</ref> was already performing in the greatest theatres in Europe and America by 1945.<ref name="treccani"/> In the course of his brief career, he had conducted not only in many of the most famous [[List of concert halls|concert halls]] of [[Europe]] but also in the [[United States]] and [[South Africa]]. Besides conducting the [[NBC Symphony]] from 1949 to 1954, Cantelli also guest conducted the [[New York Philharmonic]] and the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]] in the U.S. and the [[Philharmonia Orchestra]] in the UK.

While he was conducting in America and Europe and garnering acclaim therein, Cantelli "also continued his triumphal career in his homeland".<ref name="treccani1"/> After dedicating himself for a long time to symphonic music, Cantelli wanted to return to the "lyric repertoire". The result of such decision was a memorable ''[[Così fan tutte]]'' conducted by Cantelli at the ''Piccola Scala'' on 27 January 1956. Cantelli, besides conducting, was also the director of the opera, the cast of which included such prominent names as [[Elisabeth Schwarzkopf]] and [[Graziella Sciutti]]. The opera had a triumphal outcome, and it nothing but confirmed Cantelli's "exceptional directorial abilities."<ref name="treccani1"/> The opera was repeated in [[Johannesburg]], where it came to an "equally sensational success."<ref name="treccani1"/>

[[File:Ultimo concerto di Guido Cantelli 17 novembre 1956 Teatro Coccia di Novara Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala.JPG|thumb|17 November 1956, [[Teatro Coccia]] in [[Novara]]]]
He was named [[La Scala|Musical Director of La Scala]] on 16 November 1956. Cantelli was called in the [[United States]] to conduct a series of concerts with the [[New York Philharmonic Orchestra]], but tragedy struck. He died in the crash of LAI Flight 451 at Orly Airport in [[Paris]], [[France]] only a week after he was named director of La Scala, on 24 November.<ref name="treccani"/><ref>{{ASN accident|title= I-LEAD|id= 19561124-1|accessdate= 2014-11-1}}</ref> He was 36 years old. Toscanini, who was in failing health and died less than two months later, was not informed of Cantelli's death.

At the time of his death, Cantelli was being considered as the next music director of the New York Philharmonic, as successor to [[Dimitri Mitropoulos]]; instead, [[Leonard Bernstein]] (who also guest conducted the NBC Symphony)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wBD_ujAW520C&q=Leonard+Bernstein&pg=PA85|title=Arturo Toscanini|isbn=9781574670691|accessdate=2 September 2015|last1=Frank|first1=Mortimer H.|year=2002|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation }}</ref> was appointed conductor of the Philharmonic in 1958.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mp3.com/artist/guido-cantelli/summary/|title=Guido Cantelli|work=MP3.com|accessdate=2 September 2015}}</ref>

Toscanini had elected Cantelli his "spiritual heir" since the beginning of his career. A "sensible and refined artist", Cantelli is remembered as a "living presence in the Italian music world", especially as an "admirable example of professional seriousness, whose artistic commitment was constantly aimed at achieving a severe and unquenchable stylistic perfection".<ref name="treccani1"/> Cantelli had a strong will, and character endowments that enhanced his communicative skills and magnetism. He had a wide repertory, that he always conducted from memory even during rehearsals. He performed "a very rigorous systematic analysis, noting the salient phrases of each composition in the margins of each score, also specifying rhythmic characteristics and interpretative aspects".<ref name="treccani1"/>

[[Massimo Mila]] stated that for Cantelli "conducting was a peremptory and absolute vocation, an inexorable determination", which allowed him, in a short time, to size "the most recondite secrets of the art of conducting, and to reach a surprising artistic maturity very soon".<ref name="treccani1"/> He studied with the greatest, learning their secrets and benefiting from their experience, yet never imitating anyone, "manifesting without hesitation his artistic personality", entering, in each execution, in an "almost supernatural state that isolated him from the surrounding world".<ref name="treccani1"/>

Cantelli had been made "one of the most representative figures in the contemporary directorial panorama" by the aforementioned gifts along with, among other things, his communicative skills with the orchestra and the public, the natural "limpidity" of his gesture, his magnetism, and his interpretative versatility. It is not a case that he was considered the living heir of Toscanini.<ref name="treccani1"/>

===Performances and recordings===
Cantelli left a small legacy of commercial and live recordings. Among these are recordings of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)|7th symphony]] (ASD 254) and [[Piano Concerto No. 5 (Beethoven)|5th piano concerto]] (with [[Walter Gieseking]] and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in [[Carnegie Hall]] from 25 March 1956), [[Symphony No. 29 (Mozart)]] on HMV's ALP 1461, [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]'s [[Symphony No. 8 (Schubert)|8th symphony]] (ALP 1325), [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]' [[Symphony No. 1 (Brahms)|1st]] (ALP 1152) and [[Symphony No. 3 (Brahms)|3rd symphonies]] (BLP 1083), [[César Franck|Franck]]'s [[Symphony in D minor (Franck)|D minor symphony]] (ALP 1219 mono issue) (with the NBC Symphony in [[Carnegie Hall]] in stereo from 6 April 1954),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00202A998|title=Guido Cantelli, Franck, NBC Symphony Orchestra - Guido Cantelli conducts Franck symphony in D Minor; NBC Symphony Orchestra; 1978 Vinyl LP - Amazon.com Music|work=amazon.com|accessdate=2 September 2015}}</ref> [[Modest Mussorgsky|Mussorgsky]]'s ''[[Pictures at an Exhibition]]'', [[Paul Hindemith]]'s ''[[Symphony: Mathis der Maler]]'', [[Franz Liszt|Liszt]]'s [[Piano Concerto No. 2 (Liszt)|2nd piano concerto]] with [[Claudio Arrau]], and shorter pieces by [[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]] (ALP 1207), [[Gioachino Rossini|Rossini]], and others. He recorded [[Antonio Vivaldi|Vivaldi]]'s ''[[The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)|The Four Seasons]]'' with the New York Philharmonic for [[Columbia Records]]. He recorded a fine performance of Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique Symphony with The Philharmonia Orchestra [HMV].

His one surviving opera performance is of ''[[Così fan tutte]]'', from La Scala in 1956. There is also a live recording of the [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]] ''[[Requiem (Verdi)|Requiem]]'' (with [[Herva Nelli]]). He conducted the [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] ''[[Requiem (Mozart)|Requiem]]'' at [[La Scala]] in 1950. There are live recordings with the [[New York Philharmonic]] of Beethoven's first and fifth piano concertos, with [[Rudolf Serkin]] as soloist, from 1953 and 1954, respectively.

The Franck, Brahms 3rd, Schubert 8th, and Beethoven 7th symphonies were among his few stereo recordings. Just before his death, Cantelli recorded the final three movements of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in stereo for EMI, but did not record the first movement, due to a construction project outside London's Kingsway Hall. In recent years, many performances from broadcasts and recording sessions with the NBC Symphony, from 1949 to 1954, have been made available.

==Legacy==
There are streets named after Cantelli in several Italian cities, and in [[Brazil]]. In 1998, [[Novara]]'s [[Conservatorio Guido Cantelli|city conservatory]] was named after him.<ref>{{cite web |title=Conservatorio Guido Cantelli di Novara - Storia |url=https://consno.it/storia/#:~:text=La%20cerimonia%20ufficiale%20di%20intitolazione,%2C%20sapere%2C%20condivisione%2C%20umanit%C3%A0. |publisher=[[Conservatorio Guido Cantelli|I.S.S.M. Conservatorio Guido Cantelli di Novara]] |access-date=17 August 2025 |archive-date=18 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250418025600/https://consno.it/storia/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Amarcord - L'intitolazione a Guido Cantelli del Conservatorio |url=https://consno.it/amarcord-liintitolazione-a-guido-cantelli-del-conservatorio/ |publisher=[[Conservatorio Guido Cantelli|I.S.S.M. Conservatorio Guido Cantelli di Novara]] |access-date=17 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318014328/https://consno.it/amarcord-liintitolazione-a-guido-cantelli-del-conservatorio/ |archive-date=18 March 2025 |language=It |trans-title=Trip Down Memory Lane: The Naming of the Conservatory After Cantelli}}</ref>

In 2020, a 10-disc set, with [[remaster]]ed [[LP record|LP]]-era tracks of Cantelli's studio recordings was released by [[Warner Classics|Warner]].<ref name="Corriere">{{cite web |last1=Cappelli |first1=Valerio |url=https://www.google.com/s/roma.corriere.it/notizie/cultura_e_spettacoli/20_aprile_26/vulcano-podio-eeeadf12-8707-11ea-9b77-4fc0668b38e0.html |title=Un vulcano sul podio|publisher=[[Corriere della Sera]] |access-date=6 September 2025 |language=it |date=26 April 2020 |quote=[[Le Monde]]: «This young genius is indisputably the second [world's greatest] conductor: second, only because Maestro Toscanini preceded him».}}</ref><ref name="Nyt">{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=David |title=A Conductor's Career, Cut Short, Still Blazes on Recordings |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/05/arts/music/guido-cantelli-conductor.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=20 August 2025 |date=5 July 2022}}</ref> [[Jessica Duchen]], writing for [[BBC Music Magazine]], placed Cantelli's recording of [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]]'s ''[[Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' among the best recordings of the work, describing it as one of the most inspiring ever versions thereof.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Duchen |first1=Jessica |author1-link=Jessica Duchen |title=The best (and worst) recordings of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet |url=https://www.classical-music.com/features/recordings/tchaikovsky-romeo-and-juliet |publisher=[[BBC Music Magazine]] |access-date=6 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250906214543/https://www.classical-music.com/features/recordings/tchaikovsky-romeo-and-juliet |archive-date=6 September 2025 |date=28 August 2020 |quote=[Cantelli's version of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet] is one of the most inspiring versions of all}}</ref> Cantelli's radio broadcasts with groups including the Philharmonic and the NBC Symphony have been restored and released by labels including [[Testament Records (UK)|Testament Records]], [[Music & Arts]], and [[Pristine Audio|Pristine]].<ref name="Nyt"/>

A documentary titled ''Guido Cantelli. Il figlio degli dei'', directed by Alessandro Turci, was telecast on [[Sky Italia]]'s [[Sky Classica]] in November 2016.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Groppetti |first1=Eleonora |title=Un uomo appassionato, “il figlio degli dei” |url=https://corrieredinovara.it/cultura/un-uomo-appassionato-il-figlio-degli-dei/ |publisher=[[:it:Corriere di Novara|Corriere di Novara]] |access-date=6 September 2025 |language=it |date=24 November 2016}}</ref>

In 1961, the [[Cantelli Awards]] were established in Cantelli's name. Widely regarded as one of the most prestigious international conducting competitions and a "stepping stone for rising conductors",<ref>{{cite web |last1=Salazar |first1=Francisco |title=Guido Cantelli Conducting Award Announces 2024 Competiton |url=https://operawire.com/guido-cantello-conducting-award-announces-2024-competiton/ |publisher= OperaWire|access-date=7 September 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250907083237/https://operawire.com/guido-cantello-conducting-award-announces-2024-competiton/ |archive-date=7 September 2025 |date=22 February 2024|quote=The [Cantelli Award] is one of the most prestigious international competitions}}</ref><ref name="Lee">{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Gyu-lee |title=Conductor Song Min-gyu wins Guido Cantelli International Conducting Award |url=https://www.google.com/www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/music/20241008/conductor-song-min-gyu-wins-guido-cantelli-international-conducting-award |publisher=[[The Korea Times]] |access-date=7 September 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250907082834/https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/music/20241008/conductor-song-min-gyu-wins-guido-cantelli-international-conducting-award |archive-date=7 September 2025 |date=8 October 2024|quote=Founded in 1961, the award invites young conductors aged between 18 and 35 from around the world. It has been widely recognized as a stepping stone for rising conductors.}}</ref> the awards recognize excellence in conducting, honouring the best young conductor at the international level. Awarded biennially, the Cantelli Award was won by many notable conductors at the beginning of their careers, including [[Riccardo Muti]], [[Eliahu Inbal]], [[Ádám Fischer]] and [[Lothar Zagrosek]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Le bacchette del futuro al premio Cantelli: a Novara la finalissima del concorso per direttori d’orchestra. Il tedesco Hauser e il sudcoreano Song sfidano i due italiani Conti e Khacheh |url=https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2024/10/04/le-bacchette-del-futuro-al-premio-cantelli-a-novara-la-finalissima-del-concorso-per-direttori-dorchestra-il-tedesco-hauser-e-il-sudcoreano-min-sfidano-i-due-italiani-conti-e-khacheh/7718481/ |publisher=[[il Fatto Quotidiano]] |access-date=17 August 2025 |language=it |date=4 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A ottobre 2026 il premio Cantelli, che laureò Muti e Inbal |url=https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cultura/musica/2025/07/28/a-ottobre-2026-il-premio-cantelli-che-laureo-muti-e-inbal_3fd32922-5fb7-4cfb-aaac-9157ddb2be6d.html |publisher=[[Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata|ANSA]] |access-date=17 August 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250817153652/https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cultura/musica/2025/07/28/a-ottobre-2026-il-premio-cantelli-che-laureo-muti-e-inbal_3fd32922-5fb7-4cfb-aaac-9157ddb2be6d.html |archive-date=17 August 2025 |language=it |date=28 July 2025 |trans-title=In October 2026 the Cantelli prize, which graduated Muti and Inbal}}</ref><ref name="Lee"/>

==Personal life==
Cantelli's wife was Iris Cantelli, née Bilucaglia, the daughter of a noted [[Istrian Italian]] paediatrician and obstetrician, who had to leave his native land in the [[Istrian-Dalmatian exodus]].<ref name="stampa"/> She was portrayed by [[Valentina Chico]] in [[Larry Weinstein]]'s 2008 film ''[[Toscanini in His Own Words]]'', starring [[Michael Brandon]] and [[Barry Jackson (actor)|Barry Jackson]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shulman |first1=Ivan |title=Toscanini: In His Own Words (review)- Music Library Association Volume 66, Number 3 |date=March 2010 |publisher=[[Music Library Association]] |pages=640-641 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/376355/summary |quote=[...] these multiple revelations are woven together to create one fictional New Year's Eve celebration at home in 1954 where a widowed Toscanini (Barry Jackson) is joined by his son Walter (Joseph Long), his daughter Wally (Carolina Giammetta), the Canadian conductor Wilfred Pelletier (Michael Brandon), his long serving assistant and friend Anita Colombo (Jennie Goossens), and Iris Cantelli, the wife of his protégé, conductor Guido Cantelli (Valentina Chico) for a discussion of the maestro's entire life.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Toscanini in His Own Words (Docufiction, 2008) |url=https://www.naxosvideolibrary.com/title/EUROARTS7792 |publisher=[[Naxos (company)|Naxos Video Library]] |access-date=17 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250817145553/https://www.naxosvideolibrary.com/title/EUROARTS7792 |archive-date=17 August 2025}}</ref>

Cantelli and Bilucaglia had a son together, Leonardo, who was but 5 months old at the time of his father's death.<ref name="stampa">{{cite web|title=Leonardo Cantelli: "Conobbi papà dai suoi dischi, ma per me ho scelto il teatro"|url=https://www.lastampa.it/topnews/edizioni-locali/novara/2020/04/28/news/leonardo-cantelli-conobbi-papa-dai-suoi-dischi-ma-per-me-ho-scelto-il-teatro-1.38770056|publisher=[[La Stampa]]|date=28 April 2020|access-date=4 July 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210704213135/https://www.lastampa.it/topnews/edizioni-locali/novara/2020/04/28/news/leonardo-cantelli-conobbi-papa-dai-suoi-dischi-ma-per-me-ho-scelto-il-teatro-1.38770056/amp|archive-date=4 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="arena">{{cite web|title=Cordoglio|url=http://www.arenadipola.com/articoli/96878|publisher=[[L'Arena di Pola]]|date=December 5, 1956|access-date=4 July 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210704213830/http://www.arenadipola.com/articoli/96878|archive-date=4 July 2021}}</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*[http://www.arturotoscanini.org/db/Cantelli/performance/all/db.html Database of all Guido Cantelli recordings] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215640/http://www.arturotoscanini.org/db/Cantelli/performance/all/db.html |date=2016-03-03 }}

{{s-start}}
{{s-culture}}
{{succession box | title=[[La Scala|Musical Directors, La Scala, Milan]] | before=[[Carlo Maria Giulini]] | years=1956 | after=[[Claudio Abbado]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantelli, Guido}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Novara]]
[[Category:Milan Conservatory alumni]]
[[Category:Italian male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian conductors (music)]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian male musicians]]
[[Category:Music & Arts artists]]
[[Category:Royal Italian Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Italian escapees]]
[[Category:Escapees from German detention]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in France]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1956]]

List of political parties in Belgium

2025-10-18T11:09:42Z

2A02:8012:227B:0:B5AA:845B:928:BCF0:

{{short description|None}}
{{Politics of Belgium}}
This article contains a '''list of political parties in Belgium'''.

'''[[Belgium]]''' is a [[federal state]] with a [[multi-party system|multi-party political system]], with numerous parties who factually have no chance of gaining power alone, and therefore must work with each other to form [[coalition government]]s.

Almost all [[Belgium|Belgian]] [[political party|political parties]] are divided into linguistic groups, either [[Dutch language|Dutch]]-speaking parties (see also [[political parties in Flanders]]), [[Francophone]] parties or [[German language|Germanophone]] parties.

The Flemish parties operate in [[Flanders]] and in the [[Brussels-Capital Region]]. The Francophone parties operate in [[Wallonia]] and in the Brussels-Capital Region. There are also parties operating in the comparatively small [[German-speaking community of Belgium|German-speaking community]].

From the creation of the Belgian state in 1830 and throughout most of the 19th century, two political parties dominated [[Belgian politics]]: the [[Catholic Party (Belgium)|Catholic Party]] (Church-oriented and [[conservatism|conservative]]) and the [[Liberal Party (Belgium)|Liberal Party]] ([[anti-clericalism|anti-clerical]] and [[progressivism|progressive]]). In the late 19th century, the [[Belgian Labour Party|Labour Party]] arose to represent the emerging industrial working class. These three groups still dominate Belgian politics, but they have evolved substantially in character.

==Party status and financing==
In Belgium, the status of political parties is not defined or regulated by the constitution or by laws. A party does not even need to be a formal organisation or be registered; they can exist de facto. Anyone can simply stand for elections by presenting an electoral list, provided the candidates are eligible and the list is supported by incumbent members of that body or by a certain number of voters.

Nevertheless, some aspects have been strictly regulated in the last decades. Private funding of political parties is very restricted; political parties are publicly funded based on the number of votes they received in the elections as well as for parliamentary groups (in total c. €70 million per year). Campaign expenses are regulated during a certain period preceding an election (''[[:nl:Sperperiode (verkiezingen)|sperperiode]]'').

The law of 4 July 1989 on electoral expenses (for [[Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)|Chamber]] elections) and party financing uses the following definition of a political party:
{{blockquote|The association of [[natural person]]s, either with or without [[legal personality]], that participates in elections defined by the Constitution and by law, that, in accordance with article 117 of the Electoral Code, presents candidates for the office of representative in each electoral district of a Community or Region and that, within the limits of the Constitution, of the law, the decree and the ordinance, aims to influence the expression of the popular will in the way described in its articles or its programme.}}

One [[Association without lucrative purpose|non-profit association]] (vzw/asbl) must be designated in order to receive public funding and provide accounting to an audit committee. Usually the main political parties have multiple such vzws/asbls that exist to facilitate their party structure. For example, when [[Vlaams Blok]] was taken to court for racism in 2004, the court in fact convicted three vzws, after which a successor party [[Vlaams Belang]] was founded.

Equivalent laws exist for the electoral expenses in the European Parliament elections, the regional elections and local elections.

==Main ideologies or categories==
[[File:Evolution of Belgian political parties.png|thumb|The evolution of Belgian political parties through time and political ideology.]]
===Catholics/Christian Democrats===
After [[World War II]], the [[Catholic Party (Belgium)|Catholic (now Christian Democratic) Party]] severed its formal ties with the Church. It became a mass party of the centre.

In 1968, the Christian Democratic Party, responding to linguistic tensions in the country, divided into two independent parties: the '''[[Parti Social Chrétien (Belgium)|Parti Social Chrétien]]''' (PSC) in French-speaking Belgium and the '''[[Christelijke Volkspartij]]''' (CVP) in Flanders. The two parties pursue the same basic policies but maintain separate organisations. The CVP is the larger of the two, getting more than twice as many votes as the PSC. The chairman of the Flemish Catholic party is now [[Sammy Mahdi]]. Maxime Prévot is president of the Francophone Catholic party. Following the [[1999 Belgian general elections|1999 general elections]], the CVP and PSC were ousted from office, bringing an end to a 40-year term on the government benches. In 2001, the CVP changed its name to '''[[Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams]]''' (CD&V). In 1971 the German wing of the PSC became independent to get the name '''[[Christlich Soziale Partei (Belgium)|Christlich Soziale Partei]]'''. In 2002, the PSC changed its name to '''[[Centre démocrate humaniste]]''' (cdH), and in 2022 again to ''[[Les Engagés]]'' ('The Committed Ones') abandoning their christian democratic roots.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 March 2022 |title=Political party makeover: New name, colour and project for a revamped cdH |url=https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/210483/political-party-makeover-new-name-colour-and-project-for-a-revamped-cdh |access-date=22 November 2022 |website=The Brussels Times}}</ref>

After the big losses in the 1999 general elections, when both CVP and PSC were banished to the opposition benches, some party members decided to leave the mother parties in order to form a new [[liberal conservatism|liberal-conservative]] party. In [[Flanders]], the '''New Christian Democrats''' (NCD) was founded by [[Johan Van Hecke]] and Karel Pinxten. In [[Wallonia]], the '''[[Citizens' Movement for Change]]''' (MCC) was founded by [[Gérard Deprez]]. Both parties soon joined the major liberal parties, respectively the VLD in Flanders and the MR in Wallonia.

===Socialists/Social Democrats===
The modern Belgian Socialist parties are the descendants of the [[Belgian Labour Party]]. They have lost much of their early [[marxism|Marxist]] trends. They are now primarily labour-based parties similar to the German [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] and the French [[Socialist Party (France)|Socialist Party]]. The Socialists have been part of several postwar governments and have produced some of the country's most distinguished statesmen. The Socialists also split along linguistic lines in 1978. [[Conner Rousseau]] is the current head of the Flemish Socialist Party and [[Paul Magnette]] is the current president of the Francophone Socialists. In general, the Walloon Socialists tend to concentrate on domestic issues. In the 1980s, the Flemish Socialists focused heavily on international issues, and on security in Europe in particular, where they frequently opposed U.S. policies. However, first with [[Willy Claes]], then [[Frank Vandenbroucke (politician)|Frank Vandenbroucke]] and with [[Erik Derycke (politician)|Erik Derycke]] as [[Foreign Minister]], all three Flemish Socialists, the party made a significant shift to the centre adopting less controversial stances on foreign policy issues.

The Francophone '''[[Socialist Party (francophone Belgium)|Parti Socialiste]]''' (PS) is mainly based in the industrial cities of Wallonia ([[Liège]], [[Charleroi]], and [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]]). The Flemish Socialists' support is less regionally concentrated. PS is known in East Belgium as '''Sozialistische Partei''' (SP). The Flemish Socialists changed their party's name to '''Socialistische Partij Anders''' (SP.a) in 2002 and to '''[[Vooruit (political party)|Vooruit]]''' in 2021.

Recently, because of grassroots allegations about the party's "too little Socialist stand" in many political issues, a radical party wing broke away from the motherparty and formed, with support from smaller leftist parties, the '''[[Committee for Another Policy]]''' (CAP). Within the SP.a, the more Marxist ''SP.a-Rood'', is trying to change the course of the party.

===Liberals===
{{main|Liberalism in Belgium}}
The Liberal Parties chiefly appeal to businesspeople, property owners, shopkeepers, and the self-employed, in general. In the terms generally used in English-speaking countries, Belgian liberals would be called "moderate conservatives", "fiscal conservatives" and "social liberals".

There are two Liberal parties, formed along linguistic lines: The '''[[Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats|Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten]]''' (Open VLD) who opened up their ranks to Volksunie and CD&V defectors some years ago, managed to break the dominance of CD&V over Belgian politics in 1999. Open VLD is currently headed by [[Eva De Bleeker]].<ref>[http://www.openvld.be Website link], Official Website of the VLD</ref> The '''[[Mouvement Réformateur]]''' (MR) is the equivalent party on the Francophone side, and is headed by [[Georges-Louis Bouchez]]. The MR is a federation mainly composed of the former [[Parti réformateur libéral|PRL]],<ref name="official MR" /> it is also composed of the Germanophone '''[[Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt]]''' (PFF),<ref name="official MR">[http://www.mr.be/le-mr/structure/les-composantes/ Official website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421012354/http://www.mr.be/le-mr/structure/les-composantes |date=2013-04-21 }}</ref> and is eventually also composed of the Christian-democratic split-off called [[Citizens' Movement for Change|MCC]]. It used to be composed of the Brussels-based [[Front Démocratique des Francophones|FDF]] until September 2012,<ref name="official MR" /> which is now an independent party.<ref>[http://www.fdf.be Official website]</ref>

Recently, the Flemish liberal party faced several high-ranking elected officials breaking away in order to found new "right-liberal" parties: MEP [[Ward Beysen]] ('''[[Liberal Appeal|Liberaal Appèl]]''', LA), senator Leo Goovaerts ('''Veilig Blauw'''), senator [[Hugo Coveliers]] ('''[[VLOTT]]'''), chief of the High Supervisory Committee [[Willy Vermeulen (politician)|Willy Vermeulen]] ('''Verstandig Rechts'''), VLD board member [[Boudewijn Bouckaert]] ('''Cassandra vzw''') and senator [[Jean-Marie Dedecker]] ('''[[Libertarian, Direct, Democratic|Lijst Dedecker]]''', LDD). There has been also francophone "right-liberal" parties: senator [[Alain Destexhe]] ('''[[Liberal Democrats (Belgium)|Listes Destexhe]]''') and former Deputy Head of the Cabinet of Serge Kubla (first '''Libéral Démocrate''', LiDé and later co-founded '''[[People's Party (Belgium)|Parti populaire]]''', PP).

===Communists===
The first [[communism|communist]] party in Belgium was founded by the more radical elements of the [[Belgian Labour Party]] in 1921 and was named the [[Communist Party of Belgium]] (KPB-PCB). The party was a member of the [[Comintern]] and entered parliament in 1925. It received its highest score in the post-war [[1946 Belgian general election|elections of 1946]], when it won 12.7% of the popular vote and took part in the next coalition government. With the start of the [[Cold War]] the party started its decline and after the [[1985 Belgian general election|elections of 1985]] it was no longer represented in the [[Belgian Federal Parliament|Belgian Parliament]]. The party eventually disbanded itself in 1989, but two minor parties, the [[Communist Party (Flanders)|Kommunistische Partij]] (KP) in Flanders and the [[Communist Party (Wallonia)|Parti Communiste]] (PC) in Wallonia, see themselves as the successors.

The most successful [[Maoism|Maoist]] movement to emerge in Belgium was ''All Power To The Workers'' (AMADA-TPO) at the end of the 1960s during a time of students protests at the [[Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968)|University of Leuven]]. In 1979 this movement evolved into the '''[[Workers' Party of Belgium]]''' (PVDA-PTB), which is currently the largest communist party in Belgium and is represented in various municipal and provincial councils, as well as in the [[Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)|Chamber of Representatives]], in the [[Flemish Parliament]], in the [[Walloon Parliament]] and in the [[Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region|Brussels Parliament]].

Other minor communist and far-left parties include: the [[Trotskyism|Trotskyist]] [[Revolutionary Communist League (Belgium)|Revolutionary Communist League]] (LCR-SAP) and the Left Socialist Party (LSP-PSL).

===Regionalist parties===
A specific phenomenon in Belgium was the emergence of one-issue parties whose only reason for existence was the defence of the cultural, political, and economic interests of one of the linguistic groups or regions of Belgian society. See [[Flemish movement]].

The most militant Flemish regional party in Parliament in the 1950s and 1960s, the [[Volksunie]] (VU), once drew nearly one-quarter of Belgium's Dutch-speaking electorate away from the traditional parties. The Volksunie was in the forefront of a successful campaign by the country's Flemish population for cultural and political parity with the nation's long dominant French-speaking population. However, in the nineties, the party has suffered severe setbacks. In October 2001, the party disintegrated. The left-liberal wing founded ''Spirit'', later called the [[Social Liberal Party (Belgium)|Social Liberal Party]], while the more traditional Flemish nationalist wing continued under the banner '''[[Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie]]''' (N-VA). After a disappointing result in the [[2009 Belgian regional elections|regional elections of 2009]], the Social Liberal Party decided to merge with the Flemish ecologists of ''Groen!''. The N-VA, on the other hand, formed an electoral alliance with Christian-democratic CD&V from 2004 to 2008. After this period, the party's popularity grew significantly and it became the largest Flemish party. N-VA won the 2010 federal elections with 28% of the Flemish votes (17.4% of overall vote) and the 2014 Flemish parliament election with 31.9% of votes. The N-VA is led by [[Bart De Wever]] who has been mayor of Antwerp since 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.n-va.be/wie-is-wie/bart-de-wever|title = Bart de Wever | Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA)}}</ref> N-VA member [[Geert Bourgeois]] has been minister-president of the Flemish government from 2014 to 2019. N-VA policies are primarily focused on economic reform through extended [[devolution]] of political power within the Belgian [[confederation]] model of governance, and do eventually propose full secession from the Belgian confederation.

'''[[DéFI|Democratic, Federalist, Independent]]''' (DéFI) is a Brussels French-speaking Belgian political party that aims to defend and expand linguistic rights of French-speaking people in and around Brussels. It has been affiliated with the ''Mouvement Réformateur'', a liberal alliance party, under the name FDF.

The '''[[Union des Francophones]]''' (UF) is an electoral list combining the major Belgian Francophone parties for the regional elections in Flanders.

The German-speaking '''[[ProDG (Belgium)|Pro deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft]]''' (ProDG) is the successor of the hard-line '''[[Party of German-speaking Belgians|Partei der Deutschsprachigen Belgier]]''' (PDB). PDB itself split from the Christian-democratic CSP and was a member of [[European Free Alliance]] and [[Federal Union of European Nationalities]] (ProDG is still member of the latter).

===Greens===
The Flemish (Agalev) and Francophone ('''[[Ecolo]]''') ecologist parties made their parliamentary breakthrough in 1981. They focus heavily on environmental issues and are the most consistent critics of U.S. policy. Following significant gains made in the 1999 general elections, the two green parties joined a federal coalition cabinet for the first time in their history, but were ousted after the next elections. Agalev subsequently changed its name to Groen! in 2003. In 2012, the party dropped its trademark exclamation point and went on as '''[[Groen (political party)|Groen]]'''.

===Nationalists===
The foremost Flemish party in Belgium is the '''[[Vlaams Belang]]''', which was founded in 2004, after its predecessor was condemned by a High Court for "permanent incitation to discrimination and racism." On the far right, the Flanders separatist party [[Vlaams Blok]] steadily rose in the 1980s and 1990s. The other parties except the [[Pim Fortuyn|fortuynist]] party [[VLOTT]] maintain a [[Cordon sanitaire (politics)|cordon sanitaire]] on the Vlaams Belang as they did the Vlaams Blok.<ref name=bbcnews2>
{{cite news
|title=Court rules Vlaams Blok is racist
|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3994867.stm
|publisher=BBC News
|date=2004-11-09
|access-date=2007-05-20}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news
|title=Elections 07 — Vlaams Belang
|publisher=VRT flandersnews.be
|date=2007-05-03
|quote=This meant the introduction of a 'cordon sanitaire' around the party excluding it from government at all levels. The cordon remains in place until today.
|url=http://www.flanderninfo.be/cm/flandersnews.be/News/2.728/070503_VLBEL_Profile
|access-date=2007-05-20 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071011004647/http://www.flanderninfo.be/cm/flandersnews.be/News/2.728/070503_VLBEL_Profile  |archive-date = 2007-10-11}}</ref> Although other parties in Belgium are supportive of Flemish and Dutch cultural issues, the Vlaams Belang is most strident in pursuing a secessionist agenda, for Flemish independence.

In Wallonia, the '''[[National Front (Belgium)|Front National]]''' (FN) was the largest anti-immigrant Wallonian party. Officially, it was a bilingual party, but in reality, it was a purely French-speaking group, although it did support Belgian federalism.

==Alliances==
After the installation of a 5% [[Election threshold|electoral threshold]], with private funding close to forbidden and public funding only for parties with at least one representative in parliament, some of the smaller parties have made alliances with a larger, more traditional party, especially in the Flemish Region. Parties in any alliance remain independent, but they would field candidates on one combined list at elections. In general,the smaller party/parties would be assured of gaining seats, and the larger party would be assured of obtaining a larger overall share of the vote. This was especially true for the CD&V/N-VA alliance, whereby CD&V became the largest party by votes in the Flemish regional elections, so therefore it could initiate coalition talks and the party could appoint the leader of the Flemish regional government. The VLD/Vivant alliance did not perform well in the polls. The proposed SP.a/Spirit/Groen! alliance did not happen, instead the SP.a/Spirit alliance went to the polls, although the tripartite cartel became reality in some constituencies on the local level in the October 2006 municipal elections.

==Political parties==


===Flemish parties===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3"| Name
! Ideology
! Position
! Leader
! [[Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)|Representatives]]
! [[Flemish Parliament|Flemish MPs]]
! [[Dutch-speaking electoral college|Flemish MEPs]]
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|New Flemish Alliance}}|
| align=center| '''N-VA'''
| [[New Flemish Alliance]] {{small|''Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie''}}
| [[Flemish Movement|Flemish nationalism]]
| [[Centre-right politics|Centre-right]] to [[right-wing politics|right-wing]]
| [[Bart De Wever]]
| {{Composition bar|24|150|{{party color|New Flemish Alliance}}}}
| {{Composition bar|31|124|{{party color|New Flemish Alliance}}}}
| {{Composition bar|3|12|{{party color|New Flemish Alliance}}}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Vlaams Belang}}|
| align=center| '''VB'''
| [[Vlaams Belang|Flemish Interest]] {{small|''Vlaams Belang''}}
| [[Right-wing populism]], [[Flemish Movement|Flemish nationalism]]
| [[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]] to [[far-right]]
| [[Tom Van Grieken]]
| {{Composition bar|20|150|{{party color|Vlaams Belang}}}}
| {{Composition bar|31|124|{{party color|Vlaams Belang}}}}
| {{Composition bar|3|12|{{party color|Vlaams Belang}}}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams}}|
| align=center| '''CD&V'''
| [[Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams|Christian Democratic and Flemish]] {{small|''Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams''}}
| [[Christian democracy]]
| [[Centrism|Centre]] to [[Centre-right politics|centre-right]]
| [[Sammy Mahdi]]
| {{Composition bar|11|150|{{party color|Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams}}}}
| {{Composition bar|16|124|{{party color|Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams}}}}
| {{Composition bar|2|12|{{party color|Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams}}}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten}}|
| align=center| '''Open Vld'''
| [[Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten|Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats]] {{small|''Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten''}}
| [[Liberalism in Belgium|Liberalism]]
| [[Centre-right]]
| [[Eva De Bleeker]]
| {{Composition bar|7|150|{{party color|Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten}}}}
| {{Composition bar|9|124|{{party color|Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten}}}}
| {{Composition bar|1|12|{{party color|Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten}}}}

|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Groen (political party)}}|
| align=center| '''Groen'''
| [[Groen (political party)|Green]] {{small|''Groen''}}
| [[Green politics]]
| [[Centre-left]] to [[left-wing]]
| [[Bart Dhondt]]
| {{Composition bar|6|150|{{party color|Groen (political party)}}}}
| {{Composition bar|9|124|{{party color|Groen (political party)}}}}
| {{Composition bar|1|12|{{party color|Groen (political party)}}}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Vooruit (political party)}}|
| align=center| '''Vooruit'''
| [[Vooruit (political party)|Forward]] {{small|''Vooruit''}}
| [[Social democracy]]
| [[Centre-left]]
| [[Conner Rousseau]]
| {{Composition bar|13|150|{{party color|Vooruit (political party)}}}}
| {{Composition bar|18|124|{{party color|Vooruit (political party)}}}}
| {{Composition bar|2|12|{{party color|Vooruit (political party)}}}}
|}

===Francophone parties===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3"| Name
! Ideology
! Position
! Leader
! [[Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)|Representatives]]
! [[Walloon Parliament|Walloon MPs]]
! [[French-speaking electoral college|Walloon MEPs]]
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Parti Socialiste (Belgium)}}|
| align=center| '''PS'''
| [[Parti Socialiste (Belgium)|Socialist Party]] {{small|''Parti Socialiste''}}
| [[Social democracy]]
| [[Centre-left]] to [[left-wing]]
| [[Paul Magnette]]
| {{Composition bar|16|150|{{party color|Parti Socialiste (Belgium)}}}}
| {{Composition bar|19|75|{{party color|Parti Socialiste (Belgium)}}}}
| {{Composition bar|2|8|{{party color|Parti Socialiste (Belgium)}}}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Mouvement Réformateur}}|
| align=center| '''MR'''
| [[Mouvement Réformateur|Reformist Movement]] {{small|''Mouvement Réformateur''}}
| [[Liberalism in Belgium|Liberalism]]
| [[Centre-right]] to [[right-wing politics|right-wing]]
| [[Georges-Louis Bouchez]]
| {{Composition bar|20|150|{{party color|Mouvement Réformateur}}}}
| {{Composition bar|26|75|{{party color|Mouvement Réformateur}}}}
| {{Composition bar|3|8|{{party color|Mouvement Réformateur}}}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Ecolo}}|
| align=center| '''Ecolo'''
| [[Ecolo]] {{small|''Ecolo''}}
| [[Green politics]]
| [[Left-wing]]
| [[Samuel Cogolati]] [[Marie Lecocq]]
| {{Composition bar|3|150|{{party color|Ecolo}}}}
| {{Composition bar|5|75|{{party color|Ecolo}}}}
| {{Composition bar|2|8|{{party color|Ecolo}}}}
|-
| bgcolor=02E5D2|
| align=center| '''LE'''
| [[Les Engagés|The Committed Ones]] {{small|''Les Engagés''}}
| [[Social liberalism]]
| [[Centrism|Centre]] to [[centre-right]]
| [[Maxime Prévot]]
| {{Composition bar|14|150|#02E5D2}}
| {{Composition bar|17|75|#02E5D2}}
| {{Composition bar|1|8|#02E5D2}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|DéFI}}|
| align=center| '''DéFI'''
| [[DéFI]] {{small|''DéFI''}}
| [[Regionalism (politics)|Regionalism]]
| [[Centrism|Centre]]
| [[Sophie Rohonyi]]
| {{Composition bar|1|150|{{party color|DéFI}}}}
| {{Composition bar|0|75|{{party color|DéFI}}}}
| {{Composition bar|0|8|{{party color|DéFI}}}}
|}

===Bilingual parties===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3"| Name
! Ideology
! Position
! Leader
! [[Chamber of Representatives (Belgium)|Representatives]]
! [[Flemish Parliament|Flemish MPs]]
! [[Walloon Parliament|Walloon MPs]]
! [[List of members of the European Parliament for Belgium, 2019–2024|MEPs]]
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Workers' Party of Belgium}}|
| align=center| '''PVDA–PTB'''
| [[Workers' Party of Belgium]] {{small|''Partij van de Arbeid van België Parti du Travail de Belgique''}}
| [[Marxism]]
| [[Left-wing politics|Left-wing]] to [[Far-left politics|far-left]]
| [[Raoul Hedebouw]]
| {{Composition bar|15|150|{{party color|Workers' Party of Belgium}}}}
| {{Composition bar|9|124|{{party color|Workers' Party of Belgium}}}}
| {{Composition bar|8|75|{{party color|Workers' Party of Belgium}}}}
| {{Composition bar|2|21|{{party color|Workers' Party of Belgium}}}}
|}

===German-speaking parties===
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="3"| Name
! Ideology
! Position
! Parliamentary leader
! [[Parliament of the German-speaking Community|PDG MPs]]
! [[German-speaking electoral college|Community MEPs]]
! National affiliation
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|ProDG (Belgium)}}|
| align=center| '''ProDG'''
| [[ProDG (Belgium)|ProDG]] {{small|''ProDG''}}
| [[Regionalism (politics)|Regionalism]]
| [[Centrism|Centre]] to [[Centre-right politics|centre-right]]
| [[Clemens Scholzen]]
| {{Composition bar|8|25|{{party color|ProDG (Belgium)}}}}
| {{Composition bar|0|1|{{party color|ProDG (Belgium)}}}}
| align=center| ''None''
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Christlich Soziale Partei (Belgium)}}|
| align=center| '''CSP'''
| [[Christlich Soziale Partei (Belgium)|Christian Social Party]] {{small|''Christlich Soziale Partei''}}
| [[Christian democracy]]
| [[Centrism|Centre]] to [[Centre-right politics|centre-right]]
| [[Luc Frank]]
| {{Composition bar|5|25|{{party color|Christlich Soziale Partei (Belgium)}}}}
| {{Composition bar|1|1|{{party color|Christlich Soziale Partei (Belgium)}}}}
| align=center| [[Les Engagés|LE]]
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Parti Socialiste (Belgium)}}|
| align=center| '''SP'''
| [[Parti Socialiste (Belgium)|Socialist Party]] {{small|''Sozialistische Partei''}}
| [[Social democracy]]
| [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]] to [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]]
| [[Charles Servaty]]
| {{Composition bar|3|25|{{party color|Parti Socialiste (Belgium)}}}}
| {{Composition bar|0|1|{{party color|Parti Socialiste (Belgium)}}}}
| align=center| [[Parti Socialiste (Belgium)|PS]]
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Vivant}}|
| align=center| '''Vivant'''
| [[Vivant]] {{small|''Vivant''}}
| [[Social liberalism]]
| [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]]
| [[Roland Duchâtelet]]
| {{Composition bar|4|25|{{party color|Vivant}}}}
| {{Composition bar|0|1|{{party color|Vivant}}}}
| align=center| Vivant
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Ecolo}}|
| align=center| '''Ecolo'''
| [[Ecolo]] {{small|''Ecolo''}}
| [[Green politics]]
| [[Centre-left politics|Centre-left]] to [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]]
| [[Freddy Mockel]]
| {{Composition bar|2|25|{{party color|Ecolo}}}}
| {{Composition bar|0|1|{{party color|Ecolo}}}}
| align=center| [[Ecolo]]
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt}}|
| align=center| '''PFF'''
| [[Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt|Party for Freedom and Progress]] {{small|''Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt''}}
| [[Liberalism in Belgium|Liberalism]]
| [[Centrism|Centre]] to [[Centre-right politics|centre-right]]
| [[Kattrin Jadin]]
| {{Composition bar|3|25|{{party color|Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt}}}}
| {{Composition bar|0|1|{{party color|Partei für Freiheit und Fortschritt}}}}
| align=center| [[Reformist Movement|MR]]
|-
|}

=== Minor parties ===

==== Flemish ====
* ''Farmer Citizen Interests (BoerBurgerBelangen)''
* ''For You (Voor U)''
* ''[[VLOTT]]''
* ''VolksLiga'' - Libertarian party

==== Francophone ====

* [[Liberal Democrats (Belgium)|Liberal Democrats]] (LiDem) (former ''Listes Destexhe'')
* ''[[Chez Nous (Belgian political party)|Chez Nous]]''
* ''[[Citizen Collective|Collectif Citoyen]]''

==== Bilingual/Unionist ====
* ''[[Pirate Party (Belgium)|Piratenpartij - Parti pirate]]''
* ''[[DierAnimal]]'' (Party for the animals)<ref>{{Cite news|title=Ons land krijgt nieuwe partij voor de dieren|url=https://www.hln.be/nieuws/binnenland/ons-land-krijgt-nieuwe-partij-voor-de-dieren~a7da02e2a/}}</ref>
* ''Be.One'' (immigrant rights)<ref>{{Cite news|title=Dyab Abou Jahjah neemt met 'be.one' deel aan verkiezingen|url=https://www.hln.be/nieuws/binnenland/dyab-abou-jahjah-neemt-met-be-one-deel-aan-verkiezingen~a3bb822b/}}</ref>
* ''[[Communist Party of Belgium (1989)|Communistische Partij van België]](PCB)'' (Communist Party of Belgium)
*[[Agora (Belgium)|Agora]]
* ''[[Belgian Union|Belgische Unie - Union Belge]](BUB)'' (Belgian Union)
* ''[[Pro Bruxsel]]''
* [[European Federalist Party]]
* ''[[Committee for Another Policy|Comité voor een Andere Politiek - Comité pour une Autre Politique]]''(CAP) (Committee for Another Policy)
* ''[[International Workers' League (Belgium)|Internationale Arbeidersliga - Ligue Internationale des Travailleurs]]'' (International Workers' League)
* ''[[Revolutionary Communist League (Belgium)|Ligue communiste révolutionnaire - Socialistische Arbeiderspartij]]/LCR-SAP'' (Revolutionary Communist League)
* ''Linkse Socialistische Partij - Parti Socialiste de Lutte/LSP-PSL'' (Left Socialist Party)
* ''[[Volt Belgium|Volt Belgique - België - Belgien]]'' (Belgian section of [[Volt Europa]])
* ''[[l'Unie]]'' ''(Unitaire)''

==Historical parties==
* [[Catholic Party (Belgium)|Catholic Party]] (1869–1945)
* [[Frontpartij]] (1919–1933)
* [[Communist Party of Belgium]] (1921–1989)
* [[Christian Social Party (Belgium, 1945)|Christian Social Party]] (1945–1968)
* [[Rexist Party]] - Walloon far right party (1935–1945)
* [[Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond]] - Flemish far right party (1933–1944)
* [[Catholic Flemish People's Party]] (1936–1945)
* [[Agir (Belgium)|Agir]] - Walloon far right party (1989–1997)
* [[Party of New Forces (Belgium)|Party of New Forces]] - Walloon far right party (1975–1991)
* ''[[National Force (Belgium)|Force Nationale]]'' - Walloon far right party
* [[New Belgian Front|Front Nouveau de Belgique]] - Walloon far right party
* ''[[Rassemblement Wallonie-France]]''
* ''[[Walloon Rally|Rassemblement Wallon]]''
* ''[[Parti Communautaire National-Européen]]''
* ''[[Anderz]]''
* ''[[ROSSEM]]''
* ''[[Red!|Rood!]]'' (Red!, socialist party)
* ''[[Libertarian, Direct, Democratic|Libertair, Direct, Democratisch]]/LDD'' (Libertarian, Direct, Democratic)

==See also==
* [[Political parties in Flanders]]
* [[List of political parties by country]]
* [[Liberalism in Belgium]]
* [[Pillarisation]]
* [[Politics of Belgium]]
* [[Politics of Flanders]]
* [[Politics of Wallonia]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Belgian political parties}}
{{Belgium topics}}
{{List of political parties in Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Political Parties In Belgium}}
[[Category:Political parties in Belgium| ]]
[[Category:Lists of political parties by country|Belgium]]
[[Category:Belgium politics-related lists|Political parties]]
[[Category:Lists of political parties in Europe|Belgium]]
[[Category:Lists of organisations based in Belgium|Political parties]]