Belgium's 2024 local elections are around the corner. Brussels residents will vote to elect their local council on Sunday 13 October, and indirectly, their new mayor (bourgmestre in French or burgemeester in Dutch).
Knowing how the local election list system works is key to understanding who is running. Find all you need to know about lists here. Our practical guide will tell you everything you need to know before the big day.
Some numbers below are missing. This is because there are a total of 13 lists in Brussels, but not every list appears in every commune.
Current mayor: Boris Dilliès (MR)
Current coalition: MR, Ecolo
Number of seats on the council: 43
Population: 86,808 (Statbel)
Average income: €22,743 (Statbel)
Average cost of housing: The average price for a flat is €4,010/m2, while the average cost for a house is €3,905/m2 (Immoweb)
4. Ecolo-Groen
Lead candidate: Thibaud Wyngaard
Number of candidates on the list: 43
Climate: plant 400 trees, implement the 'Local Climate Plan', prioritise the reduction of carbon emissions across all projects, enable the public to express their views and ideas to officials through a 'Climate Coalition'.
Public space: favour the creation of green spaces over urban projects and promote numerous ecological initiatives such as 'Rendez-Vous au Jardin', improve the quality of pavements, cycle paths and public transport, and improve overall cleanliness.
Social action and employment: promote solidarity with the most vulnerable via increased funding to CPAS and social initiatives, support citizens' initiatives welcoming asylum seekers, use the 'Housing First' plan to fight against homelessness and improve access to resources for unemployed people.
Full list programme here.
5. PS
Lead candidate: Bernard Hayette
Number of candidates on the list: 43
Education and youth: create better activities and digital resources for young people, offer free meals and free crèches and organise the circulation of second-hand school material, fight against bullying and make schools safer via measures such as more pedestrian walkways in the area.
Housing: implement a housing service to assist residents with renting and purchasing a home, manage relations with landlords, support vulnerable people such as single mothers, adopt a long-term vision for urban development with social housing making up 10% of future projects, use all space available by increasing tax on unoccupied buildings and make it easier for citizens to declare vacant properties.
Economy and employment: reduce the number of empty businesses, improve both collaboration and support between businesses and officials, strengthen employment services and establish a stronger link with young people and jobseekers.
Full list programme here.
6. Liste du Bourgmestre
Lead candidate: Boris Dilliès (MR)
Number of candidates on the list: 42
Security: make police services accessible with an increased security presence, a simplified complaints system and a new Emergency Victim Assistance (EVA) process, provide training to young people regarding (online) safety and add to existing CCTV apparatus to prevent bike theft and other crime.
Cleanliness: zero-tolerance approach to littering and uncollected dog droppings, with fines of up to €500 for offences, collaborate with hospitality businesses to ensure clean surroundings, reinforce teams on the ground with capacity to intervene rapidly if necessary.
Mobility: oppose Good Move and maintain accessibility for all drivers, install safer cycling infrastructure and make public transport more regular and more comfortable, ease traffic congestion in Bois de la Cambre.
Full list programme here.
8. Les Engagés
Lead candidate: Élisabeth Degryse
Number of candidates on the list: 43
Cleanliness: more efficient rubbish collection with adapted containers and stricter collection hours, improve road and cycle path conditions through the use of better materials and monitoring, harsher punishments for littering or illegal dumping, install free public toilets, improve signposting in green spaces.
Mobility: make junctions less dangerous and reduce traffic jams, improve cycle paths and pavements, and introduce more EV charging points, collaborate with STIB to extend tramways and preserve lines T3 and T4.
Security: modernise street lighting to include 'intelligent motion sensor systems' and ensure greater visibility, install more CCTV in "at risk zones", increase police presence, support people struggling with addiction.
Full list programme here.
9. N-VA
Lead candidate: Damien Angelet
Number of candidates on the list: 6
Flemish presence: establish the first Dutch-speaking community school in Uccle, which will also house the Dutch-speaking academy, introduce bilingualism for all municipal services, all councillors must speak Dutch.
Well-being: help residents to care for their sick relatives, financially and otherwise, prohibit fireworks in the interest of keeping pets safe.
Public spaces: fight against drugs, renovate pavements, create more spaces where pets can roam free.
Full list programme here.
14. Collectif Citoyen
Lead candidate: Aziza Nouri
Number of candidates on the list: 2
The citizen's collective does not have any local campaigning points, but wants to give priority to the concerns expressed by citizens and formulate policies that take account of their long-term impact, develop a political system that guarantees the participation of citizens in political debates and decision-making as well as transparent management and ethical behaviour in politics, and provide present and future generations with fair and effective justice that guarantees the common good.
Full list programme here.
15. Uccle En Avant
Lead candidate: Marc Cools
Number of candidates on the list: 39
Mobility: oppose Good Move and allow all forms of transport to access all areas, make parking easier and improve dialogue with the City of Brussels regarding traffic management in Bois de la Cambre, make public transport service more frequent and campaign for night bus services to Uccle, speed up renovations of pavements, manage construction projects more efficiently.
Environment: prioritise sustainable development by implementing the 'Nature Plan' through measures such as communal composting and vegetable gardening, prioritise caring for animals in the commune, managing water supply and introducing more greenery in urban spaces, tackle noise pollution via collaboration between local services, local police and Brussels Environment.
Social action: tackle illiteracy, improve access to professional training courses and strengthen social fabric rather than focusing on economic support alone, promote social mixing to avoid a polarised commune and look out for vulnerable groups.
Full list programme here.
