Belgium's 2024 local elections are around the corner. Brussels residents will vote to elect their local council on Sunday 13 October, and indirectly, their new mayor (bourgmestre in French or burgemeester in Dutch).
Knowing how the local election list system works is key to understanding who is running. Find all you need to know about lists here. Our practical guide will tell you everything you need to know before the big day.
Some numbers below are missing. This is because there are a total of 13 lists in Brussels, but not every list appears in every commune.
Current mayor: Ahmed Laaouej (PS)
Current coalition: PS, Vooruit, Ecolo-Groen, DéFI, Alternative humaniste
Number of seats on the council: 27
Population: 22,648 (Statbel data)
Average income: €13,963 (Statbel data)
Average cost of housing: The average price for a flat is €2,657/m2, while the average cost for a house is €2,494/m2 (Immoweb data)
1. Liste du Bourgmestre
Lead candidate: Ahmed Laaouej (PS)
Number of candidates on the list: 27
Security: increase the number of police officers and peacekeepers, zero tolerance for crime and incivility.
Mobility: ensure that public services and transport are easily accessible to all and close to residents, ensure safe bicycle lanes and that traffic plans take into account noise pollution.
Cleanliness: ensure cleanliness of public spaces, frequent street cleaning and waste collection, combat illegal dumping and noise pollution, raise awareness through school campaigns about cleanliness and environmental protection.
Social welfare and inclusion: strengthen education particularly from early childhood with access to crèches, increase access to sports and culture, increase support for vulnerable citizens, particularly the elderly and single-parent families.
A specific programme was not available as of the time of publication. The priorities above are based on prior statements to the press and Laaouej's website and social media posts.
4. Ecolo-Groen
Lead candidate: Marie Bijnens (Groen)
Number of candidates on the list: 27
Nature and well-being: transform Rue des Braves into a pedestrian square, more nature in local schools, more plants in the streets, create citizen birdwatching and nature groups, implement a nature monitoring system.
Social Welfare: take single-parent families into account in all policies, create food banks, increase extracurricular activities and school support, support civic initiatives, language learning and digital literacy, include a poverty indicator in every policy proposal.
Mobility: more parking spots for people with reduced mobility, accessible pavements, more benches, more bike racks, storage, repair shops and rentals for children, mobility vouchers for households without cars, develop car-sharing schemes.
Cleanliness: expand free communal collection of bulky goods to households without cars, increase information on waste management, reduce nuisance of rats, crows and pigeons, combat noise pollution, fight against illegal dumping.
Full list programme here.
6. Open MR
Lead candidate: Renaud Fleusus (MR)
Number of candidates on the list: 27
Cleanliness: organise surveillance systems to prevent and punish illegal waste disposal, modernise cleaning crews' equipment, awareness campaigns on cleanliness and civic education, bulky waste collection adapted for people with reduced mobility.
Security: increase police presence in neighbourhoods, expand and modernise surveillance camera networks, increase the number of peacekeepers, encourage citizen participation.
Mobility: offer social transport service via partnership with Mobitwin, identify the needs of senior citizens, establish limited access zones to reduce traffic, redesign bicycle paths, optimise public transport network in collaboration with STIB.
Commerce: create local markets and events to attract visitors, offer tax incentives and subsidies to new entrepreneurs to boost the local economy, organise entrepreneurship fairs.
Full list programme here.
8. Les Engagés+
Lead candidate: Ossamah Maghfour (Les Engagés)
Number of candidates on the list: 27
Health: proactive policy that includes the prevention of chronic diseases, the promotion of mental health and equitable access to healthcare.
Security: combat burglary, vandalism, assaults and incivilities, reinforce the video surveillance system.
Youth: create a dedicated centre for young people, staffed by youth workers and social workers, set up a local office dedicated to student jobs, educational and career guidance and help for young entrepreneurs.
Cleanliness: increase the number of staff involved in public cleanliness, combat illegal waste disposal.
Full list programme here.
9. N-VA
Lead candidate: Bram Feyaerts (N-VA)
Number of candidates on the list: 2
Security: increase security around Simonis/Elisabeth metro station, improve safety around parks.
Cleanliness: strengthen cooperation with Brussels' public cleaning services, improve the waste collection calendar, increase restrictions of sale and use of laughing gas in public spaces.
Quality of life: increase sports opportunities in public spaces by having outdoor fitness equipment, playgrounds or volleyball courts, make public spaces multifunctional areas with artwork, greenery and playground equipment.
Language: promote Dutch as an essential language in public services to increase inclusion, promote Dutch and French language courses and language exchange groups.
Full list programme here.
