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: the acting mayor is Frédéric Nimal (DéFI), the elected mayor is Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI)
Current coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre and Ecolo-Groen
Number of seats on the council: 47
Population: 130,405 (Statbel)
Average income: €14,031 (Statbel)
Average cost of housing: The average price for a flat is €3,120/m2, while the average cost for a house is €2,801/m2 (Immoweb)
1. Vooruit+
Lead candidate: Hannelore Goeman
Number of candidates on the list: 24
Cleanliness: double the cleanliness budget for extra staff, better cleaning equipment, triple fines for violation, additional cameras for illegal dumping and extra dustbins, underground "sorting streets", a weekly mobile collection point for bigger waste and a DNA database of dog faeces to punish repeat offenders.
Mobility: improve pavements and cycle paths on large roads such as Boulevard Lambermont, implement a school street at each school, impound cars from reckless drivers and create more bicycle parking.
Security: tougher approach to drug problems, open drug consumption spaces to better counsel people with addictions, close gambling offices, enforce "community policing" especially around Place Liedts.
Housing: help people collectively insulate their homes by assisting them with renovations, put a stop to vacant buildings and rental platforms (such as AirBnb), stop blocking the construction of new social housing, give tax breaks to people with low incomes.
Full list programme here.
2. Liste du Bourgmestre (DéFI, Schaerbeek Liberals, Open VLD and independents)
Lead candidate: Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI)
Number of candidates on the list: 47
Cleanliness: focus on achievements from the past legislature, including increased fines for littering, wants regional roads to be transferred to the municipality so that all roads can be taken care of in the same way throughout the municipality.
Mobility: implement a mobility policy that "respects people's freedoms and needs" and is assessed with locals, "reinvest in facilities and pavements" and update the road safety diagnosis.
Security: bring together all safety stakeholders to ensure safety in all Schaerbeek communes.
Full list programme here.
4. Ecolo-Groen
Lead candidate: Vincent Vanhalewyn (Ecolo)
Number of candidates on the list: 47
Cleanliness: impose more sanctions on littering and illegal dumping, install more bins and underground waste containers.
Mobility: traffic-safe streets, liveable neighbourhoods by eliminating through traffic, more segregated bicycle lanes and safe school environments, tackle dangerous driving behaviour and place noise speed cameras against unnecessarily loud cars.
Security: intensify the fight against drug trafficking, including by providing better shelter, offer better guidance and treatment for vulnerable people with addiction problems.
Full list programme here.
5. PS: Parti Socialiste
Lead candidate: Hasan Koyuncu
Number of candidates on the list: 47
Cleanliness: combat illegal dumping, especially of large bulky items, by increasing the period during which bulky items are collected, create a municipal recycling centre, develop zero-waste schools, actively combat the overpopulation of vermin.
Mobility: develop a "ten-minute" city, implement municipal tax policies to encourage modal shift (such as bicycle allowances), more cycle paths separated from traffic, secure on-street and indoor cycle parking and improved pavements, increase on-street parking with a database and create school streets.
Security: better lighting in more dangerous streets, Local Prevention Partnerships LPPs (cooperation agreements between citizens and the police to help reduce crime), more neighbourhood officers, support people addicted to drugs as "repression of end-users of drugs is limited".
Housing: guarantee at least 20% social housing for any residential project of more than 2,500 m2, recover unoccupied housing, actively combat the renting out of substandard housing, support associations that develop accessible intergenerational housing projects and create affordable student housing.
Full list programme here.
6. MR & Les Engagés 1030
Lead candidate: Audrey Henry (MR)
Number of candidates on the list: 47
Cleanliness: acquire mobile cameras to combat littering offences more effectively.
Mobility: reassess mobility plans (Good Move) in consultation with residents, prioritise pedestrians by doubling the resources of the pavement renovation plan, increase the number of free parking tickets for visitors, enforce drop-off zones for e-scooters and make cycling safer.
Security: develop peacekeepers to intervene in the evening and at night and strengthen the community police and the cycle brigade.
Housing: facilitate access to property ownership and at least double the Be Home bonus (€120 given to people living in a home they own).
Full list programme here.
9. N-VA
Lead candidate: Cieltje Van Achter
Number of candidates on the list: 6
Cleanliness: tackle overflowing bins, graffiti and illegal dumping with harsher sanctions and fines, create more container parks, revise the classic rubbish collection system, cleanliness "patrols" to check compliance with the rules.
Mobility: separated cycling paths, tackle the most dangerous intersections to make them safer, create a plan to stop speeding and reckless driving including "noise" cameras, improved safety for pedestrians especially around public transport stops, schools and shopping districts, and more off-road parking spots (deals with private parking spots).
Security: zero tolerance to violent offenders, more neighbourhood police officers, more collaborations between local police and residents, close businesses linked to illegal activity, map problematic areas for a more targeted approach to stop crime.
Housing: combat empty properties by checking and fining owners of such housing, zero tolerance for slum landlords, and support owners of buildings in removing squatters.
Language: give Dutch-speaking people full assistance in Dutch when it comes to healthcare, victim care and municipal services, among others.
Main points can be found here.
11. Team Fouad Ahidar+1030
Lead candidate: Elias Ammi
Number of candidates on the list: 29
The list does not specify priorities per commune; the following are for Brussels as a whole.
Cleanliness: install underground containers to combat littering, punish litterers severely, install more public toilets, new residents should receive a welcome pack with information on waste management, bulky waste and hygiene in Brussels.
Security and well-being: instead of seeing the police as an entity primarily focused on fines and financial penalties, they should emphasise raising awareness and creating opportunities, collaborate with local stakeholders such as youth workers and street workers, diversify local police force.
Housing: impose price cap on renting and buying housing with clear and identifiable criteria, prioritise access to social housing for single parents and people with disabilities.
Full list programme here.
13. PTB-PVDA (Belgian Workers Party)
Lead candidate: Leïla Lahssaini
Number of candidates on the list: 43
Cleanliness: install underground containers, organise a mobile large household waste collection every month, put bins on every street corner, better protect street cleaners, open clean and accessible toilets, install drinking water fountains, provide a preventive service and educate people about cleanliness.
Mobility: organise neighbourhood assemblies to improve safety, no more privatised parking, advocate free public transport for the whole region, create a network of safe cycle paths, redesign streets to limit speeding, free, accessible and covered parking for bicycles.
Security: more accessible police stations open at night, develop a neighbourhood police force, improve the quality of life in neighbourhoods as a preventive measure, more stewards on public transport and in stations, reintegrate and support vulnerable (young) people, zero tolerance for organised crime and physical violence, improve the treatment of victims.
Housing: lower rents through a grid that sets maximum prices according to accommodation quality, more controls on undeclared commercial AirBnbs, at least a third of public housing in major property projects, renovate social housing, 2% cap rent indexation in council and social housing, put property left empty for three years in commune's hands.
Full list programme here.
14. 1030 ENSEMBLE (Liste Citoyenne)
Lead candidate: Georges Verzin
Number of candidates on the list: 47
Cleanliness: establish a Communal Cleanliness Plan, create the post of neighbourhood maintenance officer (instead of street sweeper function), employ people on income support to make up for understaffing.
Mobility: re-evaluate the Good Move mobility plan with citizen participation, reintroduce blue zones (free parking with timing discs), reduce parking meter rates, make obtaining up to three resident cards possible, eliminate unnecessary one-way streets, improve safety around schools, set up a road safety education programme for all ages.
Security: increase police presence, permanently assign two officers in the neighbourhoods most affected by crime, a citizen liaison officer per neighbourhood to liaise with police, implement an action plan near Brussels-North Station to combat drug trafficking, cleanliness problems, "illegal residents", double parking, and speeding, among others.
Full list programme here.
15. Collectif Citoyen
Lead candidate: Alain Mahiat
Number of candidates on the list: 6
The Citizen's Collective for Schaerbeek has not made its programme points publicly available, but has a general programme.
It wants to give priority to the concerns expressed by citizens and formulate policies that take account of their long-term impact, develop a political system that guarantees the participation of citizens in political debates and decision-making as well as transparent management and ethical behaviour in politics, and provide present and future generations with fair and effective justice that guarantees the common good.
