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: Olivier Maingain (DéFI)
Current coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre (DéFI, Indépendance libérale, Indépendant)
Number of seats on the council: 37
Population: 60,771 (Statbel)
Average income: 14,031 (Statbel)
Average cost of housing: The average price for a flat is €3,120/m2, while the average cost for a house is €2,801/m2 (Immoweb)
1. PS - Vooruit
Lead candidate: Ariane Wautelet (PS)
Number of candidates on the list: 23
Housing: renovate public and social housing to meet environmental and energy standards and to be accessible to senior citizens and people with disabilities, housing policy tailored to students, develop a programme to fight homelessness, tackle vacant homes and buildings, help low-income household residents set up rental guarantees.
Mobility: enforce 30 km/h zones around schools, tackle dangerous traffic zones, increase bike parking facilities, improve bicycle paths, encourage soft and sustainable mobility, improve the safety of pavements, particularly for vulnerable residents.
Culture and sports: offer sports and culture vouchers for all ages to allow access to sports and cultural activities.
Cleanliness and environment: increase the number of bins and the frequency of collections, fine breaches of dog cleanliness regulations, combat illegal dumping and environmental offences, clean sewers and unblock drains, promote nature and biodiversity with a municipal strategy, raise awareness about environmental issues through school initiatives.
Full list programme here.
2. Liste du Bourgmestre
Lead candidate: Olivier Maingain (DéFI)
Number of candidates on the list: 39
Economy: keep municipal operating expenditure below the rate of inflation, control municipal staff costs through dynamic management of human resources, reduce the municipal surcharges for withholding tax by 2030, require the Brussels Government to reduce the additional property tax to benefit homeowners who reside in the municipality.
Security: create new Woluwe Police Headquarters, increase the number of officers, extend surveillance camera networks, recruit peacekeepers, impose higher fines for incivilities, reject any merger of the Brussels police zones.
Cleanliness: strengthen surveillance team and camera network to identify and punish illegal dumping and taking rubbish out at unauthorised times, install rubbish sorting containers on the street, offer clothing collections instead of bins.
Mobility: prioritise safety of pedestrians, children and those with reduced mobility, create municipal road safety plans based on risk mapping by the police, issue ten free visitor parking cards per household, improve bicycle parking.
Full list programme here.
4. Ecolo-Groen
Lead candidate: Elsa Boonen (Ecolo)
Number of candidates on the list: 39
Environment: plant more trees, increase the number of rainwater collection systems, support residents to reduce energy consumption by insulating buildings, raise awareness of and support local and sustainable food, promote urban agriculture.
Mobility: invest in pedestrian safety and comfort by improving accessibility of pavements and pedestrian crossings, organise cycling courses and invest in bicycle parking infrastructures, collaborate with STIB to increase frequency of public transport and address noise pollution from the local metro.
Community: create space to facilitate local voluntary work, connect neighbours, create a 'library' from which parents can loan toys and clothes for children and a community vegetable garden, increase access to language courses, provide newcomers with a welcome pack of local information, aim to reopen the local reception initiative for asylum seekers, develop a sponsorship system for unaccompanied foreign minors.
Full list programme here.
6. MR+
Lead candidate: Amélie Pans (MR)
Number of candidates on the list: 39
Security: increase police presence and night patrols, reopen a police station in the commune, improve street lighting, install more surveillance cameras, promote the role of police and peacekeepers in schools.
Cleanliness: launch app to easily report cleanliness issues in public spaces, more public bin collections in busy areas, open mobile waste container park, make use of underground bins, punish illegal dumping.
Mobility: introduce speed cameras, develop 'Shop & Go' parking spaces for temporary parking, develop charging points without taking away parking spaces for residents, make infrastructure and public buildings more accessible to those with reduced mobility, offer ten free visitor parking cards for residents.
Social welfare: strengthen municipal services and social inclusion for citizens from all age brackets and for those with disabilities, increase home services for the elderly, create crèches with extended hours to help working families.
Full list programme here.
8. Les Engagés
Lead candidate: Jean-François Thayer (Les Engagés)
Number of candidates on the list: 39
Housing: focus on issues for both renting and buying homes, ensure residents and young people can afford to continue to live in the municipality, prioritise the conversion of existing buildings, such as empty offices, into housing.
Citizen participation: increase participation of locals by having two points during a municipal term where residents are consulted to give opinions regarding local projects or issues.
Commerce: boost local business through urban planning projects and tax measures, combat high commercial rents through rent agreements.
Cleanliness: install semi-underground containers available 24 hours a day, combat incivilities with policy that combines awareness campaigns and a zero tolerance attitude.
Full list programme here.
11. Team Fouad Ahidar +1200
Lead candidate: Faress Dabbour (Team Fouad Ahidar)
Number of candidates on the list: 2
The list does not specify priorities per commune; the following are for Brussels as a whole.
Cleanliness: install underground containers to combat littering, punish litterers, install more public toilets, new residents should receive a welcome pack containing detailed information on waste management, bulky waste and hygiene in Brussels.
Security: instead of seeing the police as an entity primarily focused on fines and financial penalties, they should emphasise raising awareness and creating opportunities, focus on collaboration with local actors such as youth workers and street workers, make the local police force more diverse.
Housing: cap prices on renting and buying housing with clear and identifiable criteria, prioritise access to social housing for single parents and people with disabilities.
Education: support bilingual schools, optimise existing resources, invest in teacher training, promote smaller classrooms, offer free education to all primary and secondary students, combat bullying in schools.
Full list programme here.
