13 June 2004
24 seats
Electoral system: party list system with preferential vote; proportional representation
Belgium is divided into three electoral colleges: Dutch-speaking (Flanders and Brussels) with 14 MEPs to elect; French-speaking (Wallonia and Brussels) with 9 MEP s to elect; German-speaking with 1 MEP to elect.
Dutch-speaking Electoral College (14 seats)
CD&V/N-VA: the Flemish Christian Democrats and their allies have chosen former Prime Minister and vice-president of the European Convention Jean-Luc Dehaene to head their list. He is followed by: - outgoing MEP Marianne Thyssen (48); - Ivo Belet; - Jacques Van Outryve; - Marie De Clerck; - Hilde van de Werf.
SP.A / Spirit: the Socialists and their allies have given first place on the list to Mia de Vits. She is followed by: - outgoing MEP Anne Van Lancker (50); - outgoing MEP Saïd El Khadraoui (29); - Ludwig Vandenhove; - outgoing MEP Jan Dhaene (46), who was elected on an Agalev list in 1999; - outgoing MEP Nelly Maes (63).
VLD: Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt heads the Flemish liberals' list. He is followed by: - former MEP Karel De Gucht; - minister and former MEP Annemie Neyts (60); - Roland Duchatelet. Outgoing MEPs Dirk Sterckx (58) and Johan van Hecke (50) are the alternates for Messrs. Verhofstadt and De Gucht.
Groen: - outgoing MEP Bart Staes (45); - Tinne van der Straeten
Vlaams Blok: the list is headed by Frank Vanhecke (45), who has already been an MEP. Outgoing MEP Philippe Claeys (39) also figures on the list.
Two other groups are presenting lists: - Partij van de Arbeid with Kris Merckx; - Linkse socialistische Partij with Anja Deschoemacker.
French-speaking Electoral College (9 seats)
CDH: the list is headed by the chairman of the Democratic Humanist Centre Joëlle Milquet (43), ahead of Marcel Crochet
MR: behind the current minister of foreign affairs Louis Michel come outgoing MEP Gérard Deprez (61), current minister Frédérique Ries (45), who was an MEP at the beginning of the legislature which is now ending; - minister for the middle classes Sabine Laruelle. Antoine Duquesne is the alternate for Louis Michel.
PS: the list is led by the head of the PS Elio Di Rupo, a former deputy Prime Minister and former MEP (his alternate is Commissioner for Research Philippe Busquin) He is followed by: - outgoing MEP Véronique De Keyser (59); - Alain Hutchinson; - outgoing MEP Olga Zhrien.
Ecolo: - outgoing MEP Pierre Jonkheer (53); - former transport minister Isabelle Durant (50).
Six other groups figure: - Rassemblement Wallonie-France with Paul-Henry Gendebien; - Mouvement pour une alternative socialiste with Guy Van Sinoy; - Parti du Travail de Belgique with David Pestieau; - Chrétiens-Démocrates francophones with Benoit Veldekens; - Front National with lformer MEP Daniel Feret; - Front nouveau de Belgique with François-Xavier Robert.
German-speaking Electoral College (1 seat)
Outgoing Christian-Democrat MEP Mathieu Grosch (54) is standing against the Socialist Werner Baumgarten, Liberal Bernard Collas, Green Lambert Jaegers and Dorothea Peters from the Partei der Deutschsprachiger Belgier.