Belgium's electoral system

Belgium's electoral system is a proportional representation system where seats in Parliament are distributed based on the percentage of votes each party receives. Elections are held at multiple levels: federal (national), regional (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels), and for the European Parliament. Citizens vote using a list system, choosing parties rather than individual candidates, with preferences allowing some candidate ranking. There's compulsory voting, meaning eligible voters must participate or face penalties. The system encourages coalition governments due to the diversity of parties, reflecting Belgium’s multilingual and regional makeup. Overall, it's designed to ensure fair representation of Belgium’s complex societal composition.