Provincial Council of Hainaut

The Provincial Council of Hainaut (French: Conseil provincial du Hainaut)[1] is the provincial council for the Belgian province of Hainaut, first introduced under the Constitution of Belgium in 1831. It forms the legislative body of the province. Its 47-84 seats are distributed every six years in provincial elections.

Provincial Council of
Hainaut

Conseil provincial du Hainaut
Type
Type
History
Founded1831
Seats47-84

History

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The Provincial Council of Hainaut was first constituted in 1831 after the province was incorporated with the Kingdom of Belgium following its declaration of independence from the Netherlands in 1830.[2][3] Hainaut became one of the nine provinces, each administered by a provincial council.[4] The Provincial Councils, elected for eight years with one-half retiring every four years, met annually.[5]

A six-member standing committee, also known as the Permanent Deputation (French: Députation Permanente) is elected from among the ranks of the Provincial Council as the executive body of the provincial government in Hainaut and presided over by the provincial governor.[6] It functions as the governing authority responsible for executing the decisions made by the Provincial Council and managing the day-to-day administration of the province.[7] In 1917, the Senate of Belgium had 120 seats, 27 filled by Provincial Council elections and 93 by vote of the people, with members serving eight-year terms.[5]

Establishments

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On 21 October 1836, the Hainaut Provincial Council voted to establish the School of Mines And Metallurgy (or Polytechnic Faculty of Mons) (French: Faculté Polytechnique de Mons), with the province being the most industrial section of Belgium. The provincial institution was placed under the administration of the Permanent Delegation by a royal decree of 27 September 1837 and opened on 1 November of that year.[8][9] The Polytechnic Faculty focused on teaching physics, mineralogy, geometry, mining, mechanics, and civil construction under the supervision of permanent deputations.[10][11] In 1845, the Provincial Council established the Industrial School of Charleroi.[12] By 1893, four provincial scholarships worth 250 francs each were awarded annually by the Hainaut Provincial Council to students born or living in the province.[13] In 1901, Paul Pastur called upon the Provincial Council to create a higher industrial school, which eventually resulted in the establishment of the Paul Pastur Université du Travail in Charleroi in 1903.[14][15] The Provincial School and Workshops for the Disabled and Work Accident Victims (French: École provinciale et Ateliers pour Estropiés et Accidentés du Travail) was founded in Charleroi in 1908 by the Provincial Council of Hainaut.[16]

Current composition

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The parliamentary assembly of Hainaut, elected every six years with 47 to 84 members, oversees all provincial matters, including internal administration, subsidy rules, police regulations, the budget, and tax collection.[17]

References

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  1. ^ Recueil des procès-verbaux des séances du Conseil Provincial du Hainaut: rapports des commissions et annexex : session de. 1860. (1860). (n.p.): (n.p.).
  2. ^ Hazell's annual. (1920). United Kingdom: Hazell, Watson & Viney,ld.
  3. ^ The World and Its Peoples: Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg. (1970). United States: Greystone Press.
  4. ^ Thompson, W. C. (1995). Western Europe, 1995. United States: Stryker-Post Publications.
  5. ^ a b Richardson, J. D. (1917). A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents. United States: Bureau of National Literature, Incorporated.
  6. ^ Fitzmaurice, J. (1989). Western European Political Parties: A Comprehensive Guide. Indonesia: Longman.
  7. ^ Parliamentary Papers. (1894). United Kingdom: H.M. Stationery Office.
  8. ^ Université de Mons. (n.d.). History: From the École des Mines to the UMONS Faculty of Engineering. Retrieved from https://web.umons.ac.be/fpms/en/a-propos-de-faculte/historique/
  9. ^ Bulletin. (1932). United States: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education.
  10. ^ Wright, C. D. (1893). Industrial Education. United States: U.S. Government Printing Office.
  11. ^ House documents. (1895). (n.p.): (n.p.).
  12. ^ Industrial Education: Eighth Annual Report of the Commissioner of Labor (1982). (1893). United States: U.S. Government Printing Office.
  13. ^ James, E. J. (1893). Education of Business Men in Europe: A Report to the American Bankers' Assoc. Through Its Committee on Schools of Finance and Economy. United States: Americ. Bankers' Assoc..
  14. ^ Mallinson, V. (1963). Power & Politics in Belgian Education, 1815 to 1961. Kiribati: London.
  15. ^ Foreign Education Digest. (1964). United States: S.W. Downs.
  16. ^ Bulletin. (1917). United States: U.S. Government Printing Office.
  17. ^ Parlament der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft. (n.d.). Provinces and municipalities. https://pdg.be/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-3990/