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| seats2_title = Senate | seats2 = | seats3_title = Walloon Parliament | seats3 = | seats4_title = Brussels Parliament | seats4 = | seats5_title = European Parliament | seats5 = | colours = Red | website = (www.pvda.be (Dutch) ) (www.ptb.be (French) ) | country = Belgium }} The Workers' Party of Belgium ((オランダ語:Partij van de Arbeid van België), PVDA; (フランス語:Parti du Travail de Belgique), PTB) is a Marxist〔(Interview with president Peter Mertens in 'Knack', 11/02/2009 ) 〕 political party in Belgium. It is one of the few parties that operates as a single Belgian party. Most other parties are either Flemish or Francophone. The PVDA-PTB hosts the ''International Communist Seminar'', which in recent years has become one of the main worldwide gatherings of communist parties. == History == The Workers' Party of Belgium originated in the student movement at the end of the 1960s. Radicalized students (organized in the student union ''SVB'' - ''Studenten VakBeweging''), mainly from the Catholic University of Leuven, turned towards the working-class movement. They considered the politics of the existing Communist Party of Belgium revisionist, i.e. too much turned toward social-democratic politics (represented in Belgium by the Belgian Socialist Party). They were influenced by the ideas of the Communist Party of China, guerrilla movements in Latin America, the movement against the Vietnam War, and the Leuven-Vlaams movement, all perceived as aspects of a worldwide struggle against colonial or neo-colonial oppression and for civil or workers' rights. Their support and participation in an important strike in the coalmines turned the movement into a political party. They founded a periodical, AMADA (''Alle Macht Aan De Arbeiders'' - All Power To The Workers), which became the first name of their party. In 1979 the first congress was held, which adopted a Maoist programme and changed the name into PVDA-PTB. Ludo Martens became the first president, and remained an important ideologist of the party until his death in 2011. Recent developments Following its electoral defeat in 2003, the PVDA-PTB fundamentally changed its working methods and communication. On one hand, the PVDA-PTB said it would refocus on working with factory workers as well as on field work in the communities where it operates. On the other hand, the PVDA-PTB said it would officially break with what it calls its sectarian past to get closer to the concrete demands of citizens. This is reflected particularly by the demands put forward on very concrete issues, e.g. lower prices for medication, the reduction of VAT on energy products from 21% to 6%, an increase of the minimum pension, better control of rents or the lower cost of trash bags. In preparation for the Belgian elections of June 2007, the ''Solidarity'' newspaper and the website of the party were merged in order to reach a wider public. The structures have also been "open" to a broader layer of activists. On March 2, 2008, the work of the Eighth Congress of the PVDA-PTB was completed with a closing meeting at the Free University of Brussels. This Congress was conducted with the theme of "party renewal." A new Central Committee was elected, which in turn elected a new Bureau of the Party. It consists of: * Peter Mertens, °1969. President * ''Lydia Neufcourt'', °1955. Responsible for expanding the party * ''Raoul Hedebouw'', °1977. National voice of the PVDA-PTB * ''Joris Van Gorp'', °1952. Head of union relations * ''Jo Cottenier'', °1947. Responsible for the socio-economic issues * ''Baudouin Deckers'', °1946. Head of International Relations. * ''Tom Demeester'', °1975. Energy. * ''David Pestieau'', °1969. Editor of Solidarity. This 'shift' seems to have produced some positive results, such as a slight increase in membership and a rebound (albeit moderate) of the electoral score of the PVDA-PTB in recent elections. The last elections in October 2012 showed more progress: with 8% in Antwerp and results in 20 city-councils (Brussels, Liège...). There has also been an increase in media coverage of the party. In September 2014 the party had more than 8,000 members. Its monthly publication "Solidarity / Solidarity" has between 3,000 and 5,000 subscribers. COMAC, its youth movement, is active in all the universities in Belgium and in secondary schools (in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels). The PVDA-PTB is also known for its 11 ''Medicine for the people'' medical centres,〔(Website 'Geneeskunde voor het Volk - Médecine pour le Peuple' ) 〕 which provide free access to primary health care, and the two progressive law firms of the ''Progress Lawyers Network.'' The newspaper ''Solidarity'', and ''Medicine for the People'' organize "ManiFiesta", a yearly festival of solidarity between the communities and the left in Belgium. The first edition was held in Bredene (by the sea) on 25 September 2010 and brought together 6,000 people from both North and South of Belgium. The fourth edition in 2013 attracted 10,000 people.〔(Met 8.000 op ManiFiesta 2012, DeWereldMorgen.be 23/09/2012 ) 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Workers' Party of Belgium」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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