The N-VA and Vlaams Belang parties cannot form a majority in the Flemish Parliament.
After counting all the votes, each party has 31 seats, totalling 62, which falls short of the required majority in the 124 seat Chamber. The current majority comprising N-VA, CD&V and Open VLD no longer holds sway, remaining locked at 56 seats, a loss of 14 compared to 2019.
The Flemish right-wing N-VA – the only party to exceed a million voters – emerged with 24.8% of the votes, while Vlaams Belang secured 22.7%, an increase of more than 4 percentage points in five years. This has resulted in the Flemish nationalists losing four seats, while the far-right party gained eight.
In third place was Vooruit, which gained two seats to secure 18, while the CD&V party fell just short, losing three seats and dropping to 16.
Three parties then emerged with an equal number of seats (9): Open VLD, Groen, and PVDA. This was a clear victory for the latter, the far-left party, which gained five seats compared to the previous 2019 elections. In contrast, the Flemish liberals fell by seven seats, and the Green party lost five.
Team Fouad Ahidar, named after a former Flemish Member of Parliament, made its entrance into the Chamber with one seat.
No far-right coalition
In terms of coalitions, a majority formed by the N-VA and Vlaams Belang is out of the question, and the continuation of the current coalition (N-VA, Open VLD, CD&V) would not result in a majority either.
If the cordon sanitaire is not broken (no democratic party aligns with far-right politics), the only possibility for a tripartite government would be the N-VA, Vooruit, and CD&V. However, this coalition would have a precarious hold on power with just 65 seats. If it expanded to include Groen or Open VLD, the coalition would have broader footing.
Nevertheless, the President of the Flemish liberals, Tom Ongena, has indicated his party would opt for opposition. Furthermore, N-VA President Bart De Wever has expressed his reservation towards forming a government with the Flemish Green party.
