Christophe De Beukelaer, leader of the Les Engagés faction in Brussels, opposes a PS proposal to relax the prohibition of simultaneous mandates for elected officials.
The proposal comes up for discussion in the regional parliament on Friday.
In the previous legislature, the Brussels Parliament introduced a complete ban on holding multiple mandates simultaneously. This prohibits a mayor or alderman from sitting, at the same time, in the Brussels, Flemish, Federal, or European Parliament.
However, Socialist Party (PS) member Marc-Jean Ghyssels has now introduced a proposal that would allow parliamentarians to serve as honorary mayors or aldermen. This proposal could benefit PS and MR(Mouvement Réformateur) leaders Ahmed Laaouej, David Leisterh, and Vincent De Wolf.
Les Engagés, who are set to join the MR and PS in the future Brussels majority, criticise the proposal as “substantively and formally poor.”
“The prohibition of multiple mandates is a measure to ensure good governance in Brussels since the Region oversees the municipalities,” Christophe De Beukelaer explained.
“It is a sound principle that members of parliament cannot simultaneously be mayors or aldermen,"he added. "I adhered to this principle myself in 2019, even before it became mandatory.”
De Beukelaer believes the proposal serves only a few individuals rather than the public interest.
“What message does Parliament send with this proposal, at a time when the region lacks a government, the fiscal situation deteriorates daily, and a fatigued non-profit sector protests in the streets of Brussels?” he wondered.
