The Electoral Appeals Board has rejected an objection by the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) to election results in Zottegem, East Flanders, in a ruling published on Tuesday afternoon.
List leader Matthias Diependaele and candidate Thomas Van de Walle had questioned the results because the difference with the smaller ZIZO party was minimal in some polling stations.
N-VA, which won eight seats in Zottegem, was concerned about the last seat, which went to ZIZO.
Diependaele and Van de Walle demanded a partial recount in Polling Stations 2, 6, and 7, and specifically raised the issue of questionable ballots in Polling Station 4.
They pointed to a slight difference in the number of votes in some stations, and suggested that irregularities, such as improper validation of ballots, might have influenced the outcome.
Specifically, they mentioned two ballots from Polling Station 4 that, they felt, should have been invalidated due to marks outside the circles.
During the hearing, several witnesses were heard.
The head of the municipal main office said no irregularities were found and that witnesses noted only a one-vote difference during the first count. He said this difference was correctly processed and recorded in the official report.
The Board concluded there was no evidence of irregularities and that the polling stations’ reports showed consistent and conclusive counts.
Witnesses, including those from N-VA, did not raise any concerns during proceedings.
The handling of questionable ballots in Polling Station 4 was found to be in accordance with the Election Decree.
The board decided unanimously on the validity of the disputed ballots.
Small differences in certain stations were corrected in recounts and did not affect the results.
In the end, the Board concluded the objecting parties did not meet the burden of proof and rejected the complaint.
“There are no concrete, precise, and consistent elements that contradict the proper conduct of the counting activities in the disputed polling stations,” it said. “Pointing out a vote difference (…) is not a basis for a recount.”
With this decision, the distribution of seats in Zottegem’s city council remains unchanged.
Despite Vooruit’s significant gain, becoming the largest party in Zottegem, N-VA later formed a coalition with the Christen Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V) party, along with Positief, the local chapter of Open VLD.
Diependaele is the titular mayor of the city, while Eveline De Both is its acting mayor.
