Six credentials verification commissions heard complaints regarding the conduct of the 9 June elections at a session of Belgium's parliament on Thursday afternoon.
They will present their reports at the Chamber's next plenary, set for 10 July, to be followed shortly after by swearing-in ceremonies.
A reform passed during the previous legislature introduced an option for claimants to be heard publicly but maintained the Chamber’s right to oversee its own elections, to the dismay of the complainants.
The six commissions were formed by drawing lots, but legislators were precluded from checking the credentials of constituencies they represented.
The Commission tasked with inspecting credentials in Brussels District received the most complaints. Its seven legislators heard successively from the Mouvement Réformateur (MR), represented by Jean Bourtembourg, Team Fouad Ahidar, Transparencia, Voor U and Citizens' Collective.
Recounts were requested, particularly for Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, where computer issues were reported on election day.
Both Fouad Ahidar and Transparencia highlighted the illegal sending of political emails and texts after 10 pm on the preceding Saturday.
Complainants also raised the issuing of voter's cards to people under the age of 18, enabling them to participate in multiple elections, and instances where adults were only allowed to participate in the European elections.
Similar issues were observed in Hasselt district. No claims had been lodged there, but the issues prompted Open Vld group leader Katja Gabriels, a member of the Limburg Credentials Verification Commission, to abstain.
Both Citizens' Collective and Voor U criticised biased media coverage by public services, difficulties in collecting signatures to present party lists, and reduced publicity for smaller parties.
All the claims were examined beforehand and compiled into an expert's report, which was then distributed to the parliamentarians.
