The French-speaking greens Ecolo may change their name as it launches a survey to identify its weak points following its decimation in the federal elections last June.
"We screwed up." This is the message that greets visitors to Ecolo's website, Belgium's French-speaking green party who performed dismally in federal elections on 9 June 2024.
Since then, the party has elected two young co-leaders, Marie Lecocq and Samuel Cogolati, and has vowed to do some soul-searching to figure out what went wrong.
In its latest show of humility, Ecolo has launched a "Popular Survey" to take criticism on board and do whatever it takes to rebrand and reel voters back in.
"All the people I've spoken to in the street say they are worried about the state of the planet but only 7% of Belgians in Wallonia voted for us in the last elections," Ecolo co-leader Samuel Cogolati told The Brussels Times.
"I meet a lot of people who tell me that Ecolo no longer corresponds to the green party they dream of. So we want to transform and respond better to their expectations," he added.
Over 7,500 people have responded to the survey in its first two days online. Based on the findings, the party might undergo a name change or even reevaluate its nuclear policy, but social values will reportedly remain untouched.
Screenshot of Ecolo's website. Translation: We screwed up. We want to hear from you! Fill out the Popular Survey today.
Radical rethinks
It is not uncommon for Belgian political parties to go through a radical rethink in order to hold onto voters. Les Engagés (formerly Humanist Democratic Centre, or cdH) rebranded in 2022 to give it a more modern and inclusive feel. In a more extreme example, Vlaams Blok morphed into Vlaams Belang in 2004 following a racism conviction.
After strong showings in the 2019 elections, Ecolo and the Socialist Party (PS) are widely viewed as the biggest losers of last year's federal elections. Both parties have since vowed to rethink their strategy. In terms of Ecolo's rebrand, Cogolati says "nothing is taboo."
Ecolo co-leaders Samuel Cogolati and Marie Lecocq. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
"Marie and I were elected to transform Ecolo, to fling open the party's doors and windows, to open it up as much as possible to the outside world," he said. "We are going to spend minimum two hours in the street everyday until February. We don't want to make changes amongst ourselves or with communications agencies, we want to hear from our voters as well as the people who didn't vote for us, who are angry with us."
Arizona: 'Cowboys ruling over an arid desert'
In his post-election speech last June, former Ecolo co-leader Jean-Marc Nollet expressed concern about the "almost total absence" of climate policy in election campaigns.
Seven months later and the prospective 'Arizona' coalition is likely to form a government in February. Cogolati is concerned about the coalition's apathy towards the environment. He refers to its negotiators as "cowboys" who will rule over an "arid desert" but is adamant that environmentalism can be advanced outside of government buildings.
Ecolo MP Samuel Cogolati. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
"We need a constructive political opposition, coordination with civil society and coordination with the citizens who are taking action for the climate."
He says his party will spend the next mandate prioritising the "gap" between a desire to live more sustainably and the economic limits to doing so.
"The people who want to do something are often the ones squeezed by explosive energy costs and just need to get something in the trolley at the end of the month. Our challenge is to reconcile the end of the world with the end of the month."
