Good evening from Brussels! Belgium headed to the polls on Sunday for the local and provincial elections. Now that all the results from all 19 Brussels municipalities and the rest of Belgium are in, political parties are starting to form their coalitions.
On Sunday, people in all of Belgium's 581 municipalities cast their votes to elect their municipal councils, while those in Wallonia and Flanders also voted in their provincial elections. More than 8.3 million Belgians were eligible to vote, while around 162,780 non-Belgians (both EU and non-EU citizens who have been in Belgium for at least five years) registered to vote.
Find out what the next steps are in the elections, including how councils are formed in Belgian municipalities and how mayors are elected.
This article covers the developments of the Belgian local elections on Monday 14 October. The latest updates appear highest on the page. See here for our live coverage of election day itself and here for all official results in the Brussels-Capital Region.
[18:30] - It's a wrap
We will close today's live blog now. Many coalitions have already come together, but others still have to be formed and mayors still have to be officially appointed. Stay tuned for more election coverage from tomorrow morning.
Have a good evening from The Brussels Times team!
[17:45] - Federal police to take over investigation into Ninove election fraud
Federal police have taken over the local police investigation into possible electoral fraud in Ninove, Belga News Agency reported.
The East Flanders Public Prosecutor's Office opened the investigation after 'Forza Ninove', the far-right list which obtained an absolute majority in the east Flemish province on Sunday, allegedly recruited elderly people as proxy voters in the local elections.
Forza Ninove's Guy D'Haeseleer on the evening of the local elections on Sunday 13 October 2024. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
The police and the courts want to complete the investigation before the mayor is sworn in in December. According to electoral rules, Forza Ninove's Guy D'haeseleer is entitled to the position, making him Belgium's first-ever Vlaams Belang mayor.
Forza Ninove denied the allegations on Monday. "We did not go door-to-door to collect proxies," D'haeseleer said, adding that he had "spontaneously" received proxies from an unspecified number of voters.
[17:31] - Turnout rate of just over 80% in the Brussels-Capital Region
80.59% of voters in the Brussels-Capital Region turned up to cast a ballot in the local elections on Sunday. 19.41% abstained.
The highest turnout rate was in Auderghem (85.08%) while the lowest was in Anderlecht (77.26%).
[17:19] - Radical left and far-right parties gained but didn't break through
The radical left-wing Belgian Workers Party (PTB-PVDA) and far-right party Vlaams Belang both made significant gains on Sunday, but neither with enough to come out on top.
There was one exception, our reporter Maïthé Chini writes: Guy D'haeseleer, leader of the far-right 'Forza Ninove' list in East Flanders, obtained an absolute majority and will become Belgium's first-ever Vlaams Belang mayor.
[16:53] - Groen the largest Dutch-speaking party in Brussels
With 26 directly elected representatives, Groen is the largest local Dutch-speaking party across Brussels' 19 communes.
Open VLD is the second-largest Dutch-speaking party in Brussels with 17 seats. CD&V has 11, Vooruit has eight and PVDA has seven. N-VA did not hold onto any of its local seats in the capital.
[16:28] - N-VA lost all six Brussels seats in local elections
None of N-VA's six municipal Brussels councillors elected in 2018 held onto their seats in Sunday's local elections.
The right-wing Flemish party had a seat in six Brussels communes: Anderlecht, the City of Brussels, Ganshoren, Jette, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. This time round, it did not retain a seat in any of these municipalities.
"It was a difficult election year for N-VA in Brussels," outgoing Councillor Mathias Vanden Borre posted on social media. "We fought hard with our entire team, but unfortunately we lost our seat on the City of Brussels Council."
Oprecht bedankt aan alle kiezers. Het was een moeilijk verkiezingsjaar voor N-VA in Brussel. We hebben er met onze ganse ploeg hard voor gestreden, maar helaas verliezen we onze zetel in de gemeenteraad van @StadBrussel.
— Mathias Vanden Borre (@M_VandenBorre) October 13, 2024
[15:50] - PTB had a 'polite conversation' with N-VA in Antwerp
PTB-PVDA's Antwerp list leader Jos D'Haese has had a "polite conversation" with mayor and Antwerp formator Bart De Wever (N-VA) at the city hall.
D'Haese said he was "looking forward" to more discussions between his left-wing party and De Wever's right-wing party in the future.
Previously, D'Haese said he wanted PTB's success to be treated as a "social signal" that there is a desire for change.
Bart de Wever (L) and Jos D'haese (R) casting votes on Sunday 13 October. Credit: Belga
[15:06] - N-VA will meet with PTB in Antwerp, but 'just for show'
Mayor of Antwerp Bart de Wever (N-VA) will meet with the Belgian Workers Party (PTB-PVDA) to kick off coalition talks today, but the meeting is "just for show," he said.
New rules in Flanders mean that the candidate with the most preferential votes has the right to initiate talks: in this instance, De Wever.
The mayor will speak to PTB not because he believes in a coalition but because "they won the elections and we have to respect that."
A close tie between N-VA and PTB was expected, but the nationalist party won 37% of votes while the left-wing party won 20.2%.
N-VA is expected to enter into a coalition agreement with the Flemish socialist party Vooruit.
[13:46] - Liège province coalition talks kick off
Yesterday also saw provincial elections in Wallonia. In the province of Liège, MR, PS, and Les Engagés parties have started negotiations to form a majority, according to Pierre-Yves Jeholet, leader of the MR Liège Provincial Federation.
Together, the three parties hold 44 of the 56 seats in the Liège Provincial Council: MR has 18 seats, PS holds 14, and Les Engagés have 12.
Across the province, MR emerged as the largest party with 29% (+5%), while PS scored 24.8% (-0.08).
Meuse river in Liège. Credit: Belga
[13:37] - Les Engagés double councillors in Brussels
"June's turquoise wave has carried through to October," said leader of French-speaking centrists, Maxime Prévot, in the Walloon capital of Namur on Monday.
Les Engages' leader Maxime Prevot celebrates with fellow party members at a meeting of the Namur branch of French-speaking centre movement Les Engages, on the evening of the local elections on Sunday 13 October 2024 in Namur. Credit: Belga / Maxime Assemberghs
"We have doubled our number of municipal councillors in Brussels and the provinces compared to 2018. We confirmed our four Brussels mayors and secured many more absolute majorities," highlighting the positive outcomes, Prévot noted.
As for the number of mayors, around sixty, it matches the 2018 figure, with many negotiations still to come across the country. The party saw huge gains in every Walloon province too.
[13:25] - De Croo celebrates Open VLD's electoral results
"We have the right of initiative in 52 municipalities; we performed well, contrary to what is being said everywhere," the outgoing Belgian Prime Minister stated upon arriving at the party headquarters in Brussels.
The right of initiative is a new feature in the communal elections in Flanders. It is given to the candidate who receives the most preference votes on the list that gets the highest overall votes. De Croo himself achieved an absolute majority in his municipality of Brakel, securing 13 out of 25 seats. He confirmed his intention to take up the mayoral sash in this East Flanders municipality.
Regarding his federal ambitions, the current Member of Parliament declined to comment further. "I hope a government is formed quickly, so they can release me," he remarked.
[12:15] - 'Too soon to reverse trend of national elections,' says Groen
Flemish ecologists Groen are not satisfied with the result of the local elections. "The period was too short to reverse the trend of the national elections," said co-leader Nadia Naji. She confirmed that the party will hold elections for a new chair towards the end of the year, as planned.
"We had already agreed in the party, that is actually the rule, that after the elections there will also be chair elections," she said. Naji is not saying for the time being whether she will be a candidate herself. "That is not the biggest priority now."
Groen's Nadia Naji. Credit: Belga/Nicolas Maeterlinck
[12:01] - N-VA not entering coalition with Vlaams Belang in Ninove
N-VA will not be co-governing with Forza Ninove (Vlaams Belang) in the municipality of Ninove (East Flanders), reports VRT. Local N-VA list leader Karolien De Roose would not accept Guy D'haeseleer's invitation.
On Monday morning, D'haeseleer said on Flemish radio that he would offer N-VA the opportunity to join the government, despite the fact that he already has an absolute majority in the municipal council with Forza Ninove. "Together, we can realize the vast majority of our programmes," D'haeseleer had said. However, N-VA has declined.
[11:51] - Voka urges politicians to form Brussels Regional Government quickly
The Brussels business organisation Voka Metropolitan congratulated everyone elected in the Brussels municipal elections, but is now calling for a quick restart of the coalition formation at the Brussels Regional Government. "It is good that we now know the results of 13 October, but what about those of 9 June?"
"The Brussels Region is not lacking in challenges that deserve an answer in a well-developed coalition agreement," said René Konings, director of Voka Metropolitan. "First and foremost, Brussels needs a balanced budget. Yes, the Brussels-Captial Region is complex, but by working together, an ambitious plan for Brussels can also be drawn up. So get to work, dear politicians."
[11:34] - Ecolo into opposition in Ixelles
In Ixelles, the outgoing mayor Christos Doulkeridis (Ecolo) has been sent into opposition, despite his list coming in first on Sunday. A socialist, liberal and centrist coalition concluded a majority agreement in the early morning. Romain De Reusme (PS) will become mayor.
The Bourgmestre Ecolo-Groen list won on Sunday with 28.4% of the vote and 13 seats, ahead of the MR&VLD list with Vous (27.7%; 13 seats), PS-Vooruit (19.6%; 9 seats), the PTB-PVDA (10.9%; 4 seats), Les Engagés Objectif XL (10%; 4 seats), while DéFI lost the two seats it held on the municipal council.
On paper, the outgoing Ecolo-PS majority could have been re-elected with 22 seats, but its narrowness at the end of the vote opened up the possibility of other possible three-way coalitions.
Outgoing mayor of Ixelles Christos Doulkeridis.
[11:03] - PTB-PVDA's Dirk De Block is Brussels' most popular Dutch-speaking candidate
Of the Dutch-speaking candidates in Brussels, Dirk De Block (PTB-PVDA) is the most popular one: he received 3,282 preferential votes in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. In second place is his party colleague Bruno Bauwens, who received 2,414 votes in the City of Brussels.
De Block's party came second in Molenbeek and will likely go into coalition with mayor Catherine Moureaux' PS. "I am very satisfied. The voters have given a signal that we are allowed to be there. We have a good team and we are ready for a majority."
If you want to know more about PTB-PVDA's Dirk De Block, check out our pre-election interview from The Brussels Times Magazine.
Belgian Workers' Party candidate for Molenbeek Dirk de Block Credit: Belga
[10:49] - Reconsidering compulsory voting in Flanders?
Vooruit leader Conner Rousseau said on Monday that the Flemish Government should reconsider abandoning compulsory voting in local elections in the north of the country. "We need to assess how we can listen to more people," he told VRT, the day after local elections in Flanders were marked by a sharp drop in voter turnout.
According to official figures, fewer than two out of three Flemish people turned out to vote on Sunday. Rousseau believes that it was primarily the most vulnerable people who stayed away from the polls on Sunday. "I hope that we will find ways to restore the obligation to vote or to give our democracy a boost so that more people go out and vote."
[10:37] - Les Engagés not pushing aside PS in Walloon provinces
Although Les Engagés can govern together with MR in the five Walloon provinces, party leader Maxime Prévot does not intend to push aside the PS "just like that." The Walloon Government of MR and Les Engagés "has set out the guidelines for an ambitious reform" for the provinces, Prévot said. However, this reform requires a two-thirds majority – meaning the PS is needed. The analysis will therefore be "done province by province, and according to sensitivities".
MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez, for his part, "prefers to have alliances with Les Engagés everywhere as a starting point," he said. "Although that does not mean that we cannot open the door to a third party."
[10:18] - A coalition 'as progressive as possible' in Molenbeek
The outgoing mayor of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, Catherine Moureaux (PS), said on Monday that she wanted to form a three-party coalition that would be "as progressive as possible" in her municipality. She already began talks with radical left PTB-PVDA, which came second (+4 seats), on Sunday evening.
Together, the two parties only have a very narrow majority: 23 seats out of 45. "It's too tight," Moureaux said. "We are going to look for a third partner. We need stability for six years."
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean Mayor Catherine Moureaux. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
In addition to the success of PTB-PVDA, the Molenbeek election was also marked by a good result for Team Fouad Ahidar (7 seats), as well as Molenbeek Autrement (4 seats). Moureaux sees this as a sign of "a protest vote that must be taken into account. These are parties that have made progress, and we need to listen to that."
[08:26] - Bouchez asks Martin to 'put his ego aside' in Mons
Party president of the Francophone liberal MR party and MR list leader in Mons, Georges-Louis Bouchez, called on outgoing mayor Nicolas Martin (PS) to "put his ego aside" and accept a coalition with the liberals.
After a tense campaign, Martin won 44.64% of the votes in the municipal elections on Sunday, good for 22 of the 45 seats in the municipal council – narrowly missing out on an absolute majority. Bouchez's list won 28.72% and 14 seats (+3), but Martin already ruled out an alliance between the two. "I promise not to sit on the board if that would relax relations somewhat," Bouchez said on Monday morning.
Mons mayor Nicolas Martin delivers a speech after winning the local elections. Credit: Belga/Bruno Fahy
[07:58] - Vlaams Belang wants to govern with N-VA in Ninove
A day after winning an absolute majority for far-right Vlaams Belang in Ninove, Forza Ninove leader Guy D'haeseleer is once again reaching out to N-VA to govern together. "Together we can realize the vast majority of our programs. I think it is possible to work together on the basis of content," D'haeseleer said on Flemish radio on Monday morning.
D'haeseleer himself is convinced that Flemish nationalists must work together. "I am convinced that many N-VA voters did not appreciate the fact that their party does not want to work with Forza Ninove."
Forza Ninove's Guy D'Haeseleer delivers a speech at a meeting of 'Forza Ninove', the local Ninove branch of Flemish far-right party Vlaams Belang, on Sunday 13 October 2024. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
[07:39] - Fouad Ahidar fails to gain ground in Flanders
Team Fouad Ahidar made big gains across Brussels, but failed to gain ground in Flanders on Sunday. The party only managed to take one seat – in Vilvoorde – narrowly exceeded the 5% electoral threshold, giving it a seat on the municipal council. In Antwerp, the list achieved just 1.5% of the vote, and a mere 1.4% in Ghent.
Fouad Ahidar had submitted lists for Sunday in several Brussels municipalities, as well as in Vilvoorde, Antwerp and Ghent. In Antwerp, the party was seen as direct competition to the PTB-PVDA, which targets the same electorate.
[06:31] - Fabrice Cumps remains Mayor of Anderlecht
An agreement has been reached in Anderlecht to place a PS-Vooruit/MR-Engagés-CD&V-Open VLD coalition at the helm of the municipality, announced their leaders, Socialist Mayor Fabrice Cumps and Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven.
Together, the two lists won 30 of the 47 seats on the council. Cumps will remain mayor, while Van Goidsenhoven will become chair of the local council.
The MR-Engagés-CD&V-Open Vld cartel and the PS-Vooruit list came out neck and neck in Sunday's elections in Anderlecht, winning 15 seats each. In third place, the PTB-PVDA list was closer to the PS and took seven seats, as in 2018, on a par with Team Fouad Ahidar. Ecolo became the smallest party on the local council with three seats (-5). DéFI and the N-VA will disappear from the council.
[06:27] - City of Brussels presents new coalition, Philippe Close remains mayor
The PS-Vooruit, MR+ and Engagés lists have reached an agreement to form a coalition for the next municipal term in the City of Brussels, the City of Brussels Mayor, Philippe Close (PS) told Belga News Agency on Monday.
The agreement was reached after several hours of negotiations. Close is to be reappointed as mayor, he confirmed.
The three lists together have 31 seats out of 49. The PS-Vooruit list led by Close won the elections to the City of Brussels on Sunday, taking 16 seats (-2). It is ahead of the MR+ list (12 seats; +5); PTB-PVDA (7 seats; +1); Ecolo-Groen (6 seats; -3), Team Fouad Ahidar (5 seats); and Les Engagés (3 seats; -2). DéFI has disappeared from the local council. It won 3 seats in 2018.
City of Brussels mayor Philippe Close speaking at the Realty 2024 summit. Credit: Realty 2024
[04:29] - PS and Ecolo-Groen form coalition in Saint-Gilles
The List du Bourgmestre of socialist mayor of Saint-Gilles, Jean Spinette, and Ecolo-Groen have decided to renew their union at the helm of the Brussels municipality for the next six years.
Spinette's list won the elections in this Brussels municipality. Although down, it won 33.8% of the vote and 13 of the 35 seats (-4). The PTB came in second with 24.4% (9 seats, +5), just ahead of Ecolo-Groen, with 23.2% of the vote and 8 seats (-3), making it possible to renew the outgoing coalition.
"The people have given us a mandate to continue our work. We have a majority partner with whom we have worked for the last six years within a fruitful alliance," Spinette said, adding that he would also be holding talks with the radical left PTB-PVDA.
[04:20] - MR-GM-Engagés and Ecolo-Groen to lead in Watermael-Boitsfort
The MR-GM-Engagés and Écolo-Groen groups in the Brussels municipality of Watermael-Boitsfort have announced an agreement to continue to manage the municipality together.
The Greens achieved the second-highest score in the municipality, giving the municipality a more comfortable majority (20 seats out of 29) than would have been the case with a coalition with the PS (17 seats out of 29).
[02:25] - PS retains absolute majority in Charleroi
The PS retained its absolute majority in Charleroi on Sunday. It won 43.69% of the vote and 26 of the 51 seats on the local council. At the same time, MR and Les Engagés gained ground, PTB held firm and Ecolo lost all its representatives on the local council.
Heading the PS list, outgoing federal secretary Thomas Dermine and mayor hopeful was credited with 11,360 votes, second only to PS president and outgoing mayor Paul Magnette (12,080 votes). However, Magnette had announced that he would not be standing for re-election as mayor of the city.
Outgoing State Secretary Thomas Dermine (PS). Credit: Belga / Hatim Kaghat
[00:21] - Brussels records drop in voter turnout
The overall turnout for the municipal elections in the Brussels-Capital Region fell below 80% on Sunday. The drop was seen in all 19 communes.
While a total of 649,575 voters were called to the polls on 13 October (around 14,000 more than in the last local elections in 2018), just 517,062 votes were cast (around 18,000 fewer than in 2018). The overall rate in the Brussels region was 79.60%. This represents a significant drop of almost 5%, from 84.27%.
Six years ago, all 19 municipalities had voter turnout rates of over 82%. Today, only five communes had higher rates: this time it was in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean where turnout was lowest (76.31%). The figures were only slightly better in Brussels (76.87%) and Anderlecht (77.26%). As was the case six years ago, the highest turnout was in Auderghem (85.08%).
[00:08] - Les Engagés narrowly gain absolute majority in Namur
In Namur, Les Engagés obtained 43.61% of the vote and 23 seats out of 47 (+7 compared to 2018), coming close to an absolute majority, according to the final results of this Sunday's election.
Far behind, PS (15.59% of the vote and seven seats) and MR (15.47% of the vote and seven seats) are neck and neck. However, the liberals gained one seat compared to the last election, while the socialists lost two.
Ecolo follows with 12.45% of the vote and six seats (-3), ahead of the PTB which obtains 9.68% of the vote and four seats (+1).
In terms of preferential votes, Maxime Prévot, president of Les Engagés and mayor of Namur, is on a roll. He received 15,682 votes, with 24.30% of the votes on the list going to his name.
