Vivant

Social-liberal political party in Belgium

This article is about the Belgian political party. For other uses, see Vivant (disambiguation).

Vivant

Leader| Roland Duchâtelet
Founded| 1995 (1995) (as BANAAN [nl])
1998 (1998) (as Vivant)
Split from| ROSSEM (BANAAN)
Membership (1999)| 5,000[1]
Ideology| Social liberalism[2][3]
Euroscepticism[2]
Basic income
Conservative liberalism
(German wing)[3]
Political position| Centre-left[4]
Colours| Orange, Green
Chamber of Representatives|

0 / 150

Senate|

0 / 60

Parliament of the German-speaking Community|

3 / 25

European Parliament|

0 / 21

Website
vivant-ostbelgien.org

* Politics of Belgium
* Political parties
* Elections

Vivant is a small social-liberal political party in Belgium[2] founded by millionaire Roland Duchâtelet. In the regional elections in June 2004, the party formed a strategic alliance with the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD). Both parties are founded on the principle of individualism and can be called liberal. In 2007, the party announced it would likely merge with the VLD.

Vivant is economically interventionist,[5] advocating a basic income guarantee for all citizens. Vivant considers the basic income as an inalienable part of the legal minimum wage (approximately half of it for full-time employment). In order to tax goods more evenly, wherever they are manufactured in order to respond to automatisation, globalization and an ageing population, Vivant proposes to shift taxes from labour to final consumption. (All taxes in the chain of production are an inclusive part of the price paid by the consumers and could be considered as a consumption tax, each tax in each stage with its specific side effects.)

Vivant also proposes a flat tax on income in two steps, 0% on to 1350 Euro and 50% from there. The VLD doesn't support all of these measures. Vivant also has direct democracy as one of its key points. The main goal of the party and its universal income proposal, is a creation of an extensive welfare system. The party seeks a "more effective struggle against poverty and exclusion, the end of stigmatizing controls on beneficiaries, and an effective way of suppressing unemployment traps."[5]

In the regional elections of 2004, partner VLD lost heavily, dragging Vivant with it to third place among Flemish political parties. Although interest in Vivant increased during the elections, the party remained a marginal force in Belgian politics. Vivant is particularly strong in the German-speaking community of Belgium, where it won 7.3% and two representatives in the Parliament of the German community.

While vivant means "alive" or "lively" in French, as an acronym "VIVANT" stands for Voor Individuele Vrijheid en Arbeid in een Nieuwe Toekomst, ("for individual freedom and labour in a new future") in Dutch.

## Elections

[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Vivant" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Vivant first took part in the federal elections for the Belgian Senate and Chamber of Representatives in 1999, but obtained no seats. The 2003 elections were no different. In 2004 there were elections of the European Parliament and the Belgian regional parliaments, where Vivant took part in a list-cartel with the VLD, but none of Vivant's candidates were elected. In 2006, Nele Lijnen became a co-opted member of the Senate.

## Election results

[edit]

### Parliament of the German-speaking Community

[edit]

Election  | Votes  | %  | Seats  | +/−  | Government

|
|
|
|
|

1999 | 1,228  | 3.33  |

0 / 25

| New  | Extra-parliamentary
2004 | 2,665  | 7.34  |

2 / 25

|  2  | Opposition
2009 | 2,684  | 7.16  |

2 / 25

|  0  | Opposition
2014 | 3,994  | 10.62  |

2 / 25

|  0  | Opposition
2019 | 5,807  | 14.81  |

3 / 25

|  1  | Opposition
2024 | 5,700  | 14.23  |

4 / 25

|  1  | Opposition

### Flemish Parliament

[edit]

Election  | Votes  | %  | Seats  | +/−  | Government

|
|
|
|
|

1995[a] | 33,701  | 0.89  |

0 / 117

| New  | Extra-parliamentary
1999 | 77,864  | 2.01  |

0 / 117

|  0  | Extra-parliamentary
2004[b] | 804,578  | 19.79  |

25 / 117

|  25  | Coalition

### European Parliament

[edit]

Election  | List leader  | Votes  | %  | Seats  | +/−  | EP Group

|
|
|
|
|
|

G.E.C. | Overall
1999 | Unclear | 1,198  | 3.25 (#6)  | 0.02  |

0 / 25

|  0  | −
2004 | Did not contest |

0 / 24

|  0
2009 | Josef Meyer  | 2,417  | 6.25 (#6)  | 0.04  |

0 / 22

|  0
2014 | Andreas Meyer  | 3,319  | 8.60 (#6)  | 0.05  |

0 / 21

|  0
2019 | Alain Mertes  | 4,550  | 11.16 (#6)  | 0.07  |

0 / 21

|  0
2024 | 5,281  | 12.16 (#4)  | 0.07  |

0 / 22

|  0

## See also

[edit]

* List of liberal parties
* Liberalism in Belgium

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Ran as BANAAN.
2. ^ Ran as part of the Open VLD coalition.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ van der Veen, Robert; Groot, Loek; Vanderborght, Yannick (2000). "The VIVANT Experiment in Belgium". Basic Income on the Agenda: Policy Objectives and Political Chances. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. p. 277\. ISBN 9053564616.
2. ^ a b c Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "German-speaking Community/Belgium". Parties and Elections in Europe.
3. ^ a b "Die Wahlen in der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft". VRT. 7 May 2014.
4. ^ "Belgium". Europe Elects. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
5. ^ a b van der Veen, Robert; Groot, Loek; Vanderborght, Yannick (2000). "The VIVANT Experiment in Belgium". Basic Income on the Agenda: Policy Objectives and Political Chances. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. p. 278\. ISBN 9053564616.

## External links

[edit]

* Vivant official site
* http://www.vivanteurope.org/doc/THEME/th29_2_en.pdf

* v
* t
* e

Political parties in Belgium

Flemish parties|

| Major|

* New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) (25)
* Flemish Interest (VB) (18)
* Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) (12)
* Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open Vld) (12)
* Vooruit (Forward) (9)
* Green (Groen) (8)

|

Minor|

* Libertarian, Direct, Democratic (LDD)

Francophone parties|

| Major|

* Socialist Party (PS) (20)
* Reformist Movement (MR) (14)
* Ecolo (13)
* Les Engagés (The Engaged Ones) (5)
* DéFI (2)

|

Minor|

* Communist Party
* Liberal Democrats
* Libertarian Party
* Nation
* Rally Wallonia France
* Chez nous
* Citizen Collective

Unitary|

| Major|

* Workers' Party (PVDA/PTB) (12)

|

Minor|

* Agora
* Belgian Union (BUB)
* DierAnimal
* ISLAM
* Left Socialist Party (LSP/PSL)
* Pirate Party
* Pro Bruxsel
* Vivant
* Volt Belgium
* L'Unie

German-speaking|

* Christian Social Party (CSP)
* Party for Freedom and Progress (PFF)
* Ecolo
* Libertarian Party
* ProDG
* Socialist Party (SP)

Former notable|

* Catholic Party → Christian Social Party (CVP/PSC) (1869–1968)
* Labour Party (BWP/POB) → Socialist Party (SP/PS) (1885–1978)
* Liberal Party → Party for Freedom and Progress (PVV/PLP) (1846–1992)

* Communist Party (1921/1989–2009)
* Flemish National Union (VNV) (1933–1944)
* Front Party (1919–1933)
* National Front (1985–2012)
* People's Union (1954–2001)
* Rexist Party (1930–1945)
* Social Liberal Party (SLP/Spirit) (2001–2009)

The numbers are seats in the Chamber of Representatives (150)

* Portal:Politics
* List of political parties
* Politics of Belgium

* v
* t
* e

Universal basic income topics

Topics|

* Basic income models
* Citizen's dividend
* Freedom dividend
* Guaranteed minimum income
* Jobless recovery
* Mincome
* Negative income tax
* Real freedom
* Right to an adequate standard of living
* Technological unemployment
* Universal basic income pilots
* Universal inheritance

Organizations|

* Basic Income Alliance
* Basic Income Earth Network
* Basic Income Party
* Breakthrough Party
* Enhet
* Five Star Movement
* Forward Party
* Fusion Party
* Génération.s
* Green Party
* Left Alliance
* LIVRE
* Mein Grundeinkommen
* MERA25
* Party of Humanists
* People Animals Nature
* Pirate Party
* Podemos
* Political Party for Basic Income
* ReCivitas
* Sustainable Australia Party
* Vivant
* Volt Europa

Advocates|

| Historic|

* Tony Atkinson
* C. H. Douglas
* Milton Friedman
* Stephen Hawking
* Ailsa McKay
* James Meade
* Thomas Paine
* Juliet Rhys-Williams
* Anthony Barber

|

Contemporary|

* Rutger Bregman
* Étienne Chouard
* Harry F. Dahms
* Uffe Elbæk
* André Gorz
* Sepp Kusstatscher
* Guy Standing
* Eduardo Suplicy
* Philippe Van Parijs
* Carole Pateman
* Christopher Pissarides
* Claus Offe
* Katja Kipping
* Götz Werner
* Richard David Precht
* Valter Mutt
* Annika Lillemets
* Osmo Soininvaara
* Li Andersson
* Susanne Wiest
* Birger Schlaug
* Christian Engström
* Benoît Hamon
* Björn Wahlroos
* Andrew Yang

Related programs|

* Alaska Permanent Fund
* Asignación Universal por Hijo
* Brazil (Bolsa Família, Auxílio Brasil)
* Iranian subsidy reform plan
* Omitara
* Quatinga Velho
* Social dividend

By region|

* Brazil
* Canada
* Germany
* India
* Japan
* Netherlands
* Nordic countries
* United Kingdom
* United States
* Global

Works|

* Agrarian Justice (pamphlet)
* Bullshit Jobs (book)
* Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work (monograph)
* The War on Normal People (book)
* Utopia for Realists (book)

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

|

*[G.E.C.]: German electoral college
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template