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: Christos Doulkeridis (Ecolo)
Current coalition: Ecolo-Groen, PS-Vooruit
Number of seats on the council: 43
Population: 89,278 (Statbel)
Average income: €18,775 (Statbel)
Average cost of housing: The average price for a flat is €4,176/m2, while the average cost for a house is €4,110/m2 (Immoweb)
1. PS - Vooruit
Lead candidate: Romain De Reusme
Number of candidates on the list: 43
Cleanliness: increase street cleaning, more public toilets, continue home collections for bulky items, zero tolerance for incivilities such as illegal feeding of pigeons and other vermin, graffiti and anti-social behaviour.
Mobility: repair and optimise pavements surfaces and walkways for worksites, improve the feeling of safety around public transport stops, increase bike routes and surface area of cycle paths, make it compulsory for buildings to provide parking for bicycles with access to recharging points, install 100 secure cycle boxes, sign up to the pact for inclusive car-sharing.
Security: enhance local street policing, strengthen policies to combat racist, sexist, homophobic and transphobic violence, tackle the problems associated with drug addiction using a public health, prevention, education and harm reduction approach, evaluate the Matonge 'drug hotspot' scheme and adapt perimeter to the neighbouring streets.
Housing: combat exorbitant rent prices and tourist accommodation, build 300 new public housing units, create transit accommodation in emergency situations, develop the U-square project to create 600 affordable student apartments as well as family housing, create a second co-managed grouped housing scheme for senior citizens.
Full list programme here.
2. DéFI
Lead candidate: Alexandra Philippe
Number of candidates on the list: 30
Cleanliness: double the cleanliness budget for Ixelles and increase penalties, increase the number of bins and collections, zero tolerance policy towards incivilities and a 'polluter pays' system, use FixMyStreet app to allow residents to report incidents, more public toilets, more resources to combat dog faeces on pavements, anti-graffiti measures.
Mobility: more visible and effective road signs for bicycles and scooters, residents only pay for parking until 19:30, review Good Move with data from local residents, car traffic and air quality, reopen the Fraiteur bridge in both directions, make Chaussée d'Ixelles more accessible, work with Brussels Government to adapt flight routes to reduce nuisance for residents.
Security: introduce 'safe zones' for victims of street harassment, zero harassment policy, increase police patrols, combat violence linked to race, gender or sexual orientation with training courses, training scheme to enable peacekeepers to become police officers after passing an examination, combat drug dealing networks, install low-risk consumption rooms for users.
Housing: innovative approach to council housing, grant communal housing based on applicants submitting a social reintegration project (e.g. returning to education, undertaking a training course, learning a language, etc.).
Full list programme here.
4. Liste du Bourgmestre (Ecolo - Groen)
Lead candidate: Christos Doulkeridis
Number of candidates on the list: 43
Cleanliness: step up graffiti removal and reporting incidents to police officers, increase regular checks and sanctions in consultation with the region, the police and the courts.
Mobility: combat excessive speeds on the streets of cars, bicycles or scooters, and repair, renovate and widen pavements wherever possible. Pedestrian crossings must also be easily accessible to people with disabilities or reduced mobility and pushchairs, as must all public buildings and spaces.
Security: implement measures to manage the problems of insecurity, particularly drug trafficking, cooperate with all the authorities in the country to combat this phenomenon.
Housing: fight against unfair rents, unoccupied housing and slum landlords, renovate council and social housing to improve insulation and reduce energy bills, support social housing cooperatives and agencies, including those specialising in affordable student accommodation.
Full list programme here.
6. MR & VLD avec vous
Lead candidate: Gautier Calomne
Number of candidates on the list: 43
Cleanliness: invest in underground or surface containers, remove graffiti throughout the commune, establish a team to patrol the commune to combat anti-social behaviour with the police, implement a municipal hotline to report anti-social behaviour and illegal dumping, maintain green spaces daily to prevent them from becoming dumping grounds.
Mobility: review Good Move plan in collaboration with residents, implement a 'Pedestrian Plan' to enhance comfort and safety for pedestrians and people with reduced mobility, create new bike lanes, improve public transport offering, particularly overcrowded lines such as 71 or 95, reduce maximum speed limits near nurseries and schools in the commune.
Security: prosecute dealers in all neighbourhoods, increase police presence, ensure absolute security in public spaces particularly for women and LGBTIQ+ individuals by improving public lighting at night and requesting bus drivers to stop between stops after 19:00, install smart cameras in certain areas to better intercept and sanction troublemakers.
Housing: develop affordable quality housing in Ixelles by working closely with public and private stakeholders to support the middle class in the commune, increase the number of housing units made available by social housing agencies to facilitate access to housing for people with "more modest means."
Full list programme here.
8. Les Engagés - ObjectifXL
Lead candidate: Geoffroy Kensier
Number of candidates on the list: 43
Cleanliness: reinforce the staff and resources of the 'Public Cleaning' department, encourage the use of hard plastic bins for white bags, implement effective and dissuasive penalties, combat illegal dumping using a camera and alarm system.
Mobility: consult residents on Good Move, reduce traffic on Avenue Géo Bernier, reopen the Fraiteur bridge in both directions, reopen the two-way crossing between the Ixelles ponds during the week, reinforce signs on Chaussée d'Ixelles, develop cycle routes, more parking facilities, reduce parking tariffs for underground car parks, increase EV charging points.
Security: install cameras, increase police presence, expand the use of the FixMyStreet app to report incidents and potential dangers, combat drug trafficking with 'priority deployment zones', support the work of associations that help homeless people, prosecute sexual harassment on the streets, use sanctions to fight against aggression, incivilities and nuisances.
Housing: speed up the processing of urban planning applications, ensure the upkeep of the 66 listed properties in Ixelles, renovate and insulate buildings and public housing, convert office buildings and unused public property into housing, develop a platform that lists empty spaces for temporary occupation, combat illegal tourist accommodation.
Full list programme here.
13. PTB - PVDA
Lead candidate: Gilles Marot
Number of candidates on the list: 10
Cleanliness: install underground or mobile recycling containers, organise a monthly collection of bulky items, increase the presence of cleaning staff in the evenings and at weekends, install drinking water fountains in every district, penalise supermarkets which do not deliver their unsold goods to food banks, introduce deposits on cans and plastic bottles.
Mobility: develop a fair and sustainable parking policy with free parking after 18:00, advocate free public transport in Brussels, increase frequency of services, safer routes for pedestrians and cyclists and stricter speed limits for cars, more secure car parks and bike boxes, implement a cheaper taxi service.
Security: accessible police stations open at night, improve the reception of victims and people wishing to lodge complaints, a specialised service for violence against women in each police zone, work to open a second centre for victims of sexual violence (CPVS), implement an addiction prevention plan, zero-tolerance policy to cases of police violence or racism.
Housing: implement modern public housing policy by making it compulsory for major private property developments to include at least one-third public housing, advocate a progressive property withholding tax, increase planning charges to build more housing and public facilities in major property developments.
Full list programme here.
