Belgium: Council of Ministers: 1951 - Archontology.org

Belgium: Council of Ministers: 1951

The following dates correspond to the period when an office holder was a member of the Council of Ministers, collectively exercising the duties of Head of State in accordance with a Constitutional provision; dates of office for each individual are different.
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Clovis-Louis-Marie-Emmanuel-Joseph Pholien (Premier Ministre = Eerste-Minister)
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Paul-Guillaume van Zeeland
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Léonard Ghislain-Marie-Joseph Meurice
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Maurice-Paul Brasseur
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Pierre-Charles-José-Marie Harmel (from 1991 comte Harmel)
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Ludovic-Marie-Odilon Moyersoen
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Jean-Marie-Joseph Van Houtte (from 1970 baron Van Houtte)
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Charles-Émile-Victor-Marie-Marcel Héger
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Oscar-Olivier-Ghislain Behogne
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Geeraard-Léonce Van Den Daele
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Albert-Léon-Louis Coppé
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Paul-Willem Segers
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Alfred-Aloïs De Taeye
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Etienne De Greef
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 André Albrecht Jozef Pauwel Dequae
16 Jul 1951 - 17 Jul 1951 Augustus Franciscus Joseph De Boodt
History:

The Constitution of Belgium of 1831, Art. 79 (numbering changed to Art. 90 as of 1994), authorized the Council of Ministers or, more precisely, the ministers in Council to exercise the royal authority during the period when the throne remains vacant or when a monarch is incapable to exercise the same functions. The royal decree of 22 Jul 1831 was amended to change the formula for promulgation of legislation in the periods of interregna ("Au nom du Peuple belge, Nous, ministres réunis en Conseil...", decree of 10 Dec 1865 published in Moniteur belge, No. 345, 1865).

The vacancy normally occurs upon the demise of the throne by death and lasts until the swearing-in of his successor; original text of Art. 79 (90) in French and Dutch reads:

[French] A dater de la mort du Roi et jusqu'à la prestation du serment de son successeur au trône ou du régent, les pouvoirs constitutionnels du Roi sont exercés, au nom du peuple belge, par les ministres réunis en conseil, et sous leur responsabilité.
[Dutch] Te rekenen van het overlijden van de Koning en tot de eedaflegging van zijn troonopvolger of van de Regent, wordt de grondwettelijke macht van de Koning in naam van het Belgische volk uitgeoefend door de in raad verenigde ministers en onder hun verantwoordelijkheid.
Last updated on: 07 Jun 2023 07:24:58