The results from the re-run of the local elections in the Brussels commune of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode are in. Outgoing mayor Emir Kir and his Liste du Bourgmestre (LB) have won with an absolute majority, as in the initial 13 October elections. The results of the previous elections were overturned due to suspected fraud.
Local elections took place across Belgium on Sunday 13 October 2024. In Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Kir's Liste du Bourgmestre (LB) won the elections with an absolute majority (50.5% of the vote) and even gained one seat since 2018.
However, the results were later declared invalid by the Brussels Regional Court due to "irregularities" with proxy votes (where voters assign their vote to someone when they cannot vote). A re-run to elect the municipal council was organised on 9 February 2025.
The results of this vote – referred to by the local authorities as "extraordinary elections" – now show Kir's list has won with 4,940 votes (55.6%), an absolute majority. Just under 72% of registered voters headed to the polling stations, compared to almost 80% in October.
Final count
- Liste du Bourgmestre/LB: 55.6% or 4,940 votes (18 seats)
- PS : Parti Socialiste: 19.5% or 1,736 votes (6 seats)
- ECOLO-GROEN: 14.5% or 1,292 votes (4 seats)
- Les Engagés-CD&V-MR-VLD: 7.7% or 681 votes (1 seat)
- Team Fouad Ahidar: 2.6% or 233 votes (no seats)
The list has won 18 seats, one more than during the previous invalid election. As Kir won an absolute majority, he does not have to try to form a coalition with the other lists.
The ex-PS member can retain his seat and serve the country's most densely populated municipality as its mayor for the next six years.
This victory is not entirely unsurprising: in October, the PS, which landed in second place, was 30 percentage points behind the LB.
Investigation into fraud
Kir's victory in October 2024 was among the largest vote-share increases in the country. However, leading figures from Ecolo, PS and Team Fouad Ahidar in Saint-Josse filed an official complaint for possible fraud.
The parties called for an investigation, and the Brussels Court of Law found a range of irregularities with proxy voting, including missing signatures, incomplete data, and/or lack of certification.
The results of the election on 13 October were therefore overturned, explaining why Saint-Josse residents had to return to the polling station on Sunday 9 February.
Unlike in October, the region trained polling station chairpeople to prevent a repeat of the "irregularities" reported last time. The share of proxy votes was 4.05% on 9 February, compared to 6,37% in October.
