CD&V
The party of prime minister Yves Leterme awaits a hard task. In 2007, it scored over 30% of the vote with a phenomenal 800,000 ballots cast for Leterme, but the circumstances have changed dramatically. For one, CD&V’s partnership with the nationalist N-VA has broken up (N-VA taking eight of the 30 Chamber seats with it). Moreover, CD&V could not deliver on its promise for state reform and the split of the bilingual Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde (BHV) constituency. It blames the French speakers for this, but, just to make sure, Leterme no longer heads the (national) Senate list, opting for the West Flemish Chamber list instead. After some hesitation, party president Marianne Thyssen declared herself the prime ministerial candidate. She proposes “a new deal for a strong Flanders in a new Belgium,” leaving behind the nationalist rhetoric of 2007. Other well-known candidates are foreign affairs minister Steven Vanackere, public services minister Inge Vervotte, defence minister Pieter De Crem and Rik Torfs, a church law professor and TV celebrity.

Open VLD
The liberals took quite some risk when they quit the federal government in April – causing its fall – over BHV. In doing so, party president Alexander De Croo, just 34, wanted to accentuate his party’s determination and consistency, but it has raised doubts about its sense of responsibility and statesmanship. Moreover, the electorate seems weary of yet another election. De Croo, son of former minister Herman De Croo, was surprisingly elected Open VLD president six months ago. He focuses on the inevitable budgetary cuts, for which he has proposed a tough plan. Open VLD’s lists are headed by a young team, including some more familiar faces such as budget minister Guy Vanhengel, former internal affairs minister Patrick Dewael and his successor Annemie Turtelboom. Much is expected of newcomer Gwendolyn Rutten.

SP.A
The socialists have spent the past three years in opposition but have found it hard to present themselves as an alternative, having been in government for over a decade before that and being part of the Flemish regional government still. Party president Caroline Gennez has had to face some internal tumult, culminating around the sacking of Frank Vandenbroucke from the Flemish government. Vandenbroucke – hurt – kept quiet about this, while his popularity grew. He is making a comeback now at the bottom of the Senate list, and may even score better than former vice-prime minister Johan Vande Lanotte, who heads this list. The names on the other lists are familiar. Too familiar, to some. Renaat Landuyt and Bruno Tobback were ministers at some point. Limburg’s Ingrid Lieten has been criticised heavily for being a federal candidate, while letting it be known that she will remain Flemish media minister.

N-VA
The Flemish nationalist N-VA starts this election from pole position. In 2007, it joined the federal majority, being part of a cartel with CD&V. N-VA soon got out for lack of results on state reform. The appeal of its president, Bart De Wever, a sharp and witty debater, makes his party rise far beyond its traditional electorate. Some polls even predict a result of 25%, making N-VA the largest Flemish party. Recruiting Siegfried Bracke, a well-respected, somewhat leftist journalist, was another coup for N-VA. De Wever warns of a “defeat in victory,” should the results remain far below those expected. N-VA has created some confusion about whether separatism or confederalism is its true aim. It also remains unclear what it will do on 14 July. Joining the federal government and compromising on Flemish demands is simply not in its DNA. Aside from De Wever and Bracke, N-VA’s best known candidate is Geert Bourgeois, who will remain Flemish interior minister. (This “fake” candidacy goes against N-VA’s own beliefs.)

Vlaams Belang
N-VA’s gain is Vlaams Belang’s loss. The magic seems gone for the party that once attracted one in four votes in Flanders. The issues of migration and Islam, Vlaams Belang’s selling point, do not stand out in this campaign. The nationalist theme, on the other hand, is whisked away by N-VA, who, unlike Vlaams Belang, is not hampered by a cordon sanitaire by all other parties to keep it away from power. Vlaams Belang shows every sign of a party in decline, including internal divisions, as former party president Frank Vanhecke and his close ally Marie-Rose Morel have alienated themselves from the rest of the party. Aside from their absence, Vlaams Belang’s lists offer no surprises, with Gerolf Annemans heading the Chamber list in Antwerp and Filip Dewinter the one for the Senate. Party president Bruno Valkeniers, meanwhile, comes up third on the Antwerp Chamber list.

LDD
What’s true for Vlaams Belang, is even more true for Lijst Dedecker. The party of former judo coach Jean-Marie Dedecker was the hype of the 2007 election, followed by disappointing results at the ballot box though. Because of this, LDD is a one-man band more than ever. Dedecker’s ultra-liberalism has not caught on. Anything he says, Bart De Wever says better. No wonder the man from Ostend shows signs of fatigue. He has even been accused of showing up drunk to an election debate, which he denies. LDD’s Senate list is headed by Anne De Baetzelier, a former Miss Belgium and TV presenter.

Groen!
In theory, the greens have everything going for them. Its young parliamentary group (including Tinne Van der Staeten, Meyrem Almaci, Stefaan Van Hecke and Wouter De Vriendt) was judged the best by a number of newspapers. Its relatively inexperienced president Wouter van Besien plunged into the negotiations on BHV and came out without any damage done. With Eva Brems, a human rights professor and former Amnesty International president, Groen! has an authentic new candidate. Still, it looks like Groen! will not reach beyond its traditional electorate of some seven or eight percent.