Belgium

2026

STATUSAbolitionist

EXECUTIONS 20260

SENTENCES0

GOVERNMENT: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
CONSTITUTION: February 7, 1831; revised on July 14, 1993 to create a federal state; amended several times, last in 2019
LEGAL SYSTEM: civil law system based on the French civil code; recognizes ICJ jurisdiction as compulsory with reservations
LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM: bicameral Parliament, Senate (Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French) and Chamber of Representatives (Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French)
JUDICIAL SYSTEM: Constitutional Court or Grondwettelijk Hof (in Dutch) and Cour Constitutionelle (in French) (composed of 12 judges - 6 Dutch-speaking and 6 French-speaking); Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) and Cour de Cassation (in French) (court organized into 3 chambers: civil and commercial; criminal; social, tax, and military; each chamber includes a Dutch division and a French division, each with a president and 5-6 judges); Courts of Appeal; regional courts; specialized courts for administrative, commercial, labor, immigration, and audit matters; magistrate courts; justices of the peace

RELIGIONS

Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 2.3%, other Christian 2.8%, Muslim 6.8%, other 1.7%, atheist 9.1%, non-believer/agnostic 20.2% (estimate 2018)

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