Investigations have been opened into suspected election fraud involving the possible recruitment of proxies in several additional communes in Flanders.
The Flemish Agency for Home Affairs (ABB) has received four requests for information from the Public Prosecutor’s Offices regarding the use of proxy votes in the local election on 13 October, newly appointed Flemish Home Affairs Minister Hilde Crevits (CD&V) confirmed in the Flemish Parliament.
The proxy vote system is designed to allow those who can't go to the polling booth in person on election day (because they are ill, working or abroad) to still cast their votes.
As part of these investigations, proxy votes have officially been seized in Ninove, in the Flemish Brabant municipalities of Meise and Dilbeek, as well as Alken, Limburg. "These are the four cases known to us," Crevits said.
According to VRT NWS, investigations into fraud with the use of proxies are also running in the West Flemish town of Veurne, Limburg's Turnhout and Brakel in East Flanders, however, it seems no proxies have been seized by authorities here.
Questions about proxies
Both in the run-up to and after the local elections on 13 October, the proxy system was causing controversy. Beforehand, problems included employers who no longer wanted to grant proxies to their employees because compulsory voting was abolished in the region.
After 13 October, rumours of the possible recruitment of proxies started to spread. While soliciting such votes was a common practice for a long time (Vlaams Belang's Filip Dewinter even went to Benidorm in Spain to convince the Flemish people there to send a proxy form to Belgium), the practice was made punishable in these local elections for the first time.
Reports of fraud in the region first surfaced in the East Flemish commune of Ninove – where far-right list Forza Ninove gained an absolute majority – just hours after polling stations. Stories were circulating about Forza Ninove reportedly recruiting proxy votes among the elderly population, including people with dementia.
Het Laatste Nieuws reported that the far-right party allegedly visited an incapacitated woman at her home, pressuring her to ask for a note from the doctor. List leader Guy D'haeseleer has strongly denied all claims of fraud. Still, a remarkably high number of proxy votes were cast here, accounting for one in 14 votes.
Crevits stated that the use of proxies will be included in the planned evaluation of the reformed electoral legislation.
