Two weeks have passed since Brussels residents headed to polls to elect their next City Council. While formation talks are ongoing in some communes, most have settled their governing coalitions.
A municipality is the lowest level of authority in Belgium, however, decisions made at this level have a significant impact on residents. On 13 October, voters elected representatives of the municipal council, which in turn form a college of the mayor and local councillors (referred to as the ruling coalition).
The municipal council can be compared to the parliament of a municipality, while the college is like the government. Find out who makes up your council and college below.
Anderlecht
Anderlecht mayor Fabrice Cumps (PS). Credit: Belga/ Hatim Kaghat
Mayor: Fabrice Cumps (PS)
Ruling coalition: PS-Vooruit, MR-Engagés-CD&V-Open Vld (together making up 30 of the 47 seats on the council, with 15 seats each)
Opposition in the council: PTB-PVDA (7 seats), Team Fouad Ahidar (7 seats), and Ecolo-Groen (3 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Fabrice Cumps (PS) / PS-Vooruit-Les Engagés, Ecolo-Groen, DéFI
Election Sunday brought a tied result for the Socialists and the MR-Engagés cartel, each winning 15 seats. Hours after the final results were revealed, the two lists announced they are joining forces to govern the municipality for the next six years. The big surprise here was Cumps' return to his post, even though his party came close second (27.3% for MR-Les Engagés-Vld-CD&V and 26.8% for PS).
Auderghem
Auderghem Mayor Sophie de Vos. Credit: Belga/ James Arthur Gekiere
Mayor: Sophie de Vos (DéFI in Liste de la Bourgmestre)
Ruling coalition: Liste de la Bourgmestre (an absolute majority with 17 of the 33 seats)
Opposition in the council: MR-Les Engagés-Open VLD-CD&V (8 seats), Ecolo-Groen (6 seats) and PS (2 seats).
Previous mayor and coalition: Sophie de Vos (DéFI/Liste du Bourgmestre) / Liste du Bourgmestre, Ecolo-Groen
While the Liste de la Bourgmestre (renamed for 2024 elections to reflect the female mayor) already has a majority, de Vos has said she is looking to form a coalition to govern. This could see a return of the LB-Ecolo-Groen coalition, but de Vos could also turn to the MR-led list, which made significant gains in the elections.
Berchem-Sainte-Agathe
Christian Lamouline at the oath-taking ceremony for the new mayor of Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, September 2020. Credit: Belga
Mayor: Christian Lamouline (Les Engagés in Liste du Bourgemestre)
Ruling coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre, PS-Vooruit and Ecolo-Groen (together making up 21 of the 29 seats, with 12, 7 and 2 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: Open MR (6 seats) and Be Berchem (2 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Christian Lamouline (Les Engagés in LB) / Liste du Bourgmestre, PS-Vooruit, Ecolo-Groen
During the campaign, the outgoing coalition (La Liste du Bourgmestre, PS-Vooruit+ and Ecolo-Groen) had announced its intention to continue governing the municipality if voters renewed their confidence in it. The reappointment of Lamouline as mayor was part of this agreement.
City of Brussels
Philippe Close and Binche mayor Laurent Devin at the carnival in the streets of Binche, 13 February 2024. Credit: Belga
Mayor: Philippe Close (PS)
Ruling coalition: PS-Vooruit, MR+ and Les Engagés (together making up 31 of the 49 seats, with 16, 12 and 3 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: PTB-PVDA (7 seats), Ecolo-Groen (6 seats) and Team Fouad Ahidar (5 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Philippe Close (PS) / PS, Ecolo-Groen, DéFI, Vooruit
One of the biggest upsets in the City of Brussels is the loss of Ecolo-Groen, which no longer shares power. PS-Vooruit instead signed up with two new partners, MR+ and Les Engagés). Discussions on the distribution of powers are still underway, but BX1 reported that the Socialists will likely take charge of mobility, housing and mobility, while the MR will take on the Public Centres for Welfare (CPAS).
Etterbeek
Vincent De Wolf blowing bubbles during the 20th 'Belgian Pride', May 2015 in Brussels. Credit: Belga
Mayor: Likely Vincent De Wolf (MR in Liste Bourgemestre)
Ruling coalition: Liste Bourgemestre (MR, CD&V, Open VLD, independents), PS and Les Engagés (together making up 24 of the 35 seats, with 16, 4 and 4 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: Ecolo-Groen (8 seats) and PTB-PVDA (3 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Vincent De Wolf (MR in Liste Bourgemestre) / Liste Bourgmestre, Ecolo-Groen, PS
Despite coming second, Ecolo-Groen – the list previously in a coalition with MR – has been relegated to the opposition. Already during the campaign, De Wolf had concluded a pre-electoral agreement with Les Engagés and the Socialists. De Wolf, who has been mayor of Etterbeek for 31 years) is on course for a new term as mayor if he does not become President of the Brussels Parliament.
Evere
Ridouane Chahid during a party bureau of French-speaking socialist party PS, 10 June 2024. Credit: Belga
Mayor: Ridouane Chahid (PS in Liste du Bourgmestre)
Ruling coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre and MR (together making up 28 of the 35 seats, with 19 and 9 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: Les Engagés Everois (3 seats), Ecolo-Groen (3 seats) and DéFI (1 seat)
Previous mayor and coalition: Ridouane Chahid (PS) / Liste du Bourgmestre, DéFI
While the list of PS figureheads Ridouane Chahid and Rudi Vervoort won an absolute majority in Evere, it joined forces with the MR. Chahid had already announced on election night that he did not want to work alone.
Forest
Previous mayor and coalition: Mariam El Hamidine (Ecolo) / Ecolo, PS-Vooruit
Forest is one of three communes where a coalition agreement has not yet been decided, as the four leading parties were within a whisker of each other. The MR+DéFI list won 25.8% of the vote (10 seats), ahead of the PS-Vooruit list, which came in second place with 24.8% of the votes, or 9 seats. PTB-PVDA (21.2%, 8 seats) and Ecolo-Groen (20.8%, 8 seats) finished neck-and-neck. This means over two-thirds of Forest residents voted left.
The outgoing PS-Ecolo coalition is keen to respect the popular will for progressive governance. However with the Socialists and Green making up just 17 of the 37 seats, a third party would be needed. They are currently engaging in "exploratory discussions" with PTB-PVDA.
Ganshoren
Van Laethem after taking the oath, May 2022. Credit: Belga
Mayor: Jean-Paul Van Laethem (Les Engagés in Liste du Bourgmestre)
Ruling coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre (Les Engagés-CD&V and independents) and PS+Citoyens (together making up 18 of the 29 seats with 11 and 7 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: Open MR (7 seats), Ecolo-Groen (3 seats) and DéFi (1 seat)
Previous mayor and coalition: Jean-Paul Van Laethem (Les Engagés in Liste du Bourgmestre) / Liste du Bourgmestre, MR, DéFI
Van Laethem had already announced his intention not to renew the previous coalition put in place six years ago. He instead announced a pre-election agreement between his list (LB), Défi and the PS + Citoyens list. However, in light of Défi's loss on election night, the pre-election agreement went ahead without this list.
Ixelles
Romain De Reusme at an end-of-year school awards ceremony. Credit: Romain De Reusme / Facebook
Mayor: Romain De Reusme (PS)
Ruling coalition: MR & VLD avec vous, PS and Les Engagés-ObjectifXL (together making up 26 of the 43 seats, with 13, 9 and 4 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: Ecolo-Groen (13 seats) and PTB-PVDA (4 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Christos Doulkeridis (Ecolo) / Ecolo-Groen, PS-Vooruit
Ecolo-Groen, led by Doulkeridis, won the most votes and would have been able to retain the coalition majority with PS. However, PS-Vooruit, MR-VLD and Les Engagés lists agreed to form a coalition in the early hours of the morning, relegating Ecolo-Groen to the opposition. Gautier Calomne (MR) will be the First Alderman or City Councillor and Geoffroy Kensier (Les Engagés) will be the Second Alderman.
Jette
Claire Vandevivere at a polling station in Jette, Sunday 13 October 2024. Credit: Belga
Mayor: Claire Vandevivere (Les Engagés on LBJette)
Ruling coalition: LBJette, MR-VLD and Ecolo-Groen (together making up 22 of the 37 seats, with 11, 7 and 4 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: PS-Vooruit (6 seats), Team Fouad Ahidar (5 seats) and PTB-PVDA (4 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Claire Vandevivere (Les Engagés) / LBJette, Ecolo-Groen and MR
A majority agreement was reached on the evening of Sunday 13 October, very soon after the final results came in, to return with the outgoing majority, which was re-elected.
Koekelberg
Ahmed Laaouej during the New Year's reception of the local Brussels branch of PS, January 2020. Credit: Belga
Mayor: Ahmed Laaouej (PS in Liste du Bourgmestre)
Ruling coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre (making up 16 of the 27 seats) but discussions for coalition ongoing
Opposition in the council: TBC
Previous mayor and coalition: Ahmed Laaouej (PS in Liste du Bourgmestre) / PS, Vooruit, Ecolo-Groen, DéFI and Alternative Humaniste (Les Engagés)
The Liste du Bourgmestre led by Ahmed Laaouej (PS) won an overwhelming majority on election night, with more than 50% of the vote, allowing it to govern alone. However, it will likely again invite Alternative Humaniste and Vooruit to join its coalition. The inclusion of other lists is being analysed.
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
Previous mayor and coalition: Catherine Moureaux (PS) / PS-Vooruit, Liste de Bourgmestre (MR)
Molenbeek mayor Catherine Moureaux's PS-Vooruit list held firm, winning 12 seats with 23.1% of the vote, narrowly holding off Dirk De Block's PTB-PVDA, which received 22.2% of the votes and won 11 seats. A coalition between the Socialist Party (PS) and PTB-PVDA is almost certain in Molenbeek, but with a slim majority (23 of the 45 seats) are looking for a third partner, likely Team Fouad Ahidar (with 7 seats).
Saint-Gilles
Jean Spinette at the site where an armed robber was holed up in an attempted robbery was interrupted by police, August 2023. Credit: Belga
Mayor: Jean Spinette (PS on Liste du Bourgmestre)
Ruling coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre (PS-Vooruit) and Ecolo-Groen (together making up 21 of the 35 seats, with 13 and 8 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: PTB-PVDA (9 seats) and Open-MR-Les Engagés (5 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Jean Spinette (PS) / PS and Ecolo-Groen
Jean Spinette's Liste du Bourgmestre (PS-Vooruit) maintained the socialist stronghold of Saint-Gilles. It decided to renew its union with Ecolo-Groen at the helm of the commune. Remarkably, PTB-PVDA gained a substantial 11.4% and could join the coalition.
Saint-Josse-ten-Node
Emir Kir in an interview. Credit: Jonas Hamers / ImageGlobe / Belga
Mayor: Emir Kir (Independent on Liste du Bourgmestre)
Ruling coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre (with 17 of the 29 seats)
Opposition in the council: confirmed is PS (6 seats), Ecolo-Groen (4 seats) and possibly Les Engagés-CD&V-MR-Open VLD (2 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Emir Kir (Independent) / Liste du Bourgmestre
Outgoing mayor Emir Kir won an absolute majority with 50.5% of the vote. The former PS candidate had openly said he would not be forming a coalition with PS or Ecolo-Groen. Instead, he confirmed his intention to contact the MR-Engagés list to create a larger majority.
Schaerbeek
Previous mayor and coalition: Frédéric Nimal was the acting mayor, Bernard Clerfayt was the elected mayor, both from DéFI / Liste du Bourgmestre and Ecolo-Groen
Schaerbeek is also an undecided commune, as no majority agreement has been signed. The PS (19.2%) and the joint MR&Les Engagés 1030 (18.2%) list finished neck-and-neck, both with ten seats. They now are locked in a tussle for the mayorship. PS says its right to the mayorship is "non-negotiable" and is leading talks with PTB and Ecolo to form a left-wing coalition. Together they would hold 25 of the 47 seats.
Uccle
Boris Dilliès arrives for a meeting of the actors in the Brussels region to discuss possible tighter measures to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19, October 2020. Credit: Belga
Mayor: Likely to be Boris Dilliès (MR in Liste du Bourgmestre)
Ruling coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre (MR and Défi) and Ecolo-Groen (together making up 29 of the 43 seats with 19 and 10 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: PS (6 seats), Les Engagés (4 seats) and Uccle En Avant (4 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Boris Dilliès (MR) / MR and Ecolo-Groen
MR and Ecolo, who governed the municipality for the past six years, will again be leading the City Council in Uccle. The Liste du Bourgmestre (MR Défi) failed to win an absolute majority by itself and will again form an alliance with Ecolo.
Watermael-Boisfort
Mayor: TBC
Ruling coalition: MR-GM-Les Engagés and Ecolo (together making up 20 of the 29 seats with 12 and 8 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: PS-Vooruit (5 seats) and DéFI (4 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Olivier Deleuze (Ecolo) / Ecolo-Groen and MR-GM-Indépendant
Olivier Deleuze (Ecolo), who held the mayor's office under the previous mandate, did not stand for re-election on 13 October. Tristan Roberti was the list leader for Ecolo, however, MR's David Leisterh is first in line for the mayoral office in terms of votes. His dream has always been to be mayor of Watermael-Boitsfort, however, he is also being considered for the role of Minister-President in Brussels. If chosen for this position, he will not be able to take the job on the communal level.
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
Olivier Maingain after a meeting with the King at the Royal Palace in Brussels, May 2019. Credit: Belga
Mayor: Olivier Maingain (DéFI)
Ruling coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre and Les Engagés (making up 25 of the 37 seats, with 21 and 4 seats each, respectively)
Opposition in the council: MR+ (8 seats), Ecolo Groen (4 seats) and PS-Vooruit (2 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Olivier Maingain (DéFI) / Liste du Bourgmestre (DéFI, Indépendance libérale, Indépendant)
While returning mayor Maingain's list fell short of an absolute majority, it struck an agreement with Les Engagés to get across the line. Under the terms of the agreement, Les Engagés will have one seat in the college.
Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
Benoît Cerexhe photographed during an interview. © Christophe Ketels - ImageGlobe / Belga
Mayor: Benoît Cerexhe (Les Engagés on Liste du Bourgmestre)
Ruling coalition: Liste du Bourgmestre (making up 24 of the 35 seats)
Opposition in the council: Ecolo-Groen (6 seats), Citoyens + - PS - Vooruit (3 seats) and DéFI l'Alternative (2 seats)
Previous mayor and coalition: Benoît Cerexhe (Les Engagés on Liste du Bourgmestre) / Liste du Bourgmestre (Les Engagés, MR and Open Vld), Ecolo-Groen and DéFi
Just four lists stood for local elections in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and one managed to gain an absolute majority. The joint Engagés-MR-Open VLD list included several high-profile candidates such as outgoing State Secretary for Budget Alexia Bertrand in second place and regional deputy Anne-Charlotte d'Ursel.
