For the first time since the general elections took place in 2019, Flemish extreme right wing party Vlaams Belang is no longer the most popular party in Flanders.
The latest poll conducted by Ipsos, Le Soir and RTL places N-VA at the top with 23.4% if voters would cast their vote today, and Vlaams Belang dropping to 22.2%.
Vlaams Belang had come out on top in the 10 previous polls since the elections, and the party, which is led by Tom Van Grieken, has dropped 2.3% points since the last major poll.
The party’s soft condemnation of the Russian invasion in Ukraine is one probable reason for the drop in popularity, according to Le Soir. While criticizing the invasion, the party was reluctant to support the economic sanctions against Russia. It remains to be seen if they will be able to bounce back to it’s highs from March 2020 when it was polling at 28%.
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Flemish socialist party Vooruit (14.2%) keeps climbing in every new poll, and has anchored itself in third place. The party has no doubt risen in popularity with the leadership of Health Minister Franck Vandenbroucke beeing omnipresent throughout the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo’s party, Open VLD, polled at only 9.8%.
