The Parti Socialiste or PS of Belgium is a French-speaking social democratic political party. It is the dominant party in Wallonia, supported by the urban working class, and is led by Elio Di Rupo. In Brussels, it is the second party. This party is nearly always part of the governing coalition, and dominates most local authorities because of the extremely fragmented nature of political institutions, especially from the French-speaking side. In the years since 1999, the PS has simultaneously controlled five regional executive bodies: the Francophone Community Government, the Walloon Regional Government, the Brussels Regional Government, as well as the COCOF, a local subsidiary in Brussels of the Francophone Community Government and even the German-speaking Community Government. The PS did very well in the 2003 election.

The ideology and image of the PS is a mix of old-style state interventionism (the francophone regions of Belgium have around 70% more civil servants per 1000 inhabitants than the EU average), combined with a modern electoral marketing (since Elio Di Rupo became the party's strongman).

Notable figures

(Past and present)

• André Cools
• Rudy Demotte
• Elio Di Rupo
• Jean-Claude Marcourt
• Laurette Onkelinx
• Guy Spitaels

External links

• Official website