French nationals living in Belgium — some 67,000 — were also given the opportunity to vote in person in the French presidential elections on Sunday. The call to the polls resulted in long traffic jams near Brussels Expo in the Heysel.
Polling booths were put up across several cities in Belgium, from Antwerp to Ghent and Charleroi, however, the one near Brussels Expo seems to be the most popular with the French living in the country.
On the Heysel ring road, traffic was at a complete standstill and many queues were created to reach the polling stations, the spokesperson for the Brussels-Capital/Ixelles police, Ilse Van de keere, confirmed to Belga News Agency.
In addition to the French elections, the "Made In Asia" exhibition, which is being held at Brussels Expo this weekend, is also attracting a lot of people, Van de keere said.
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"The police are on hand to try and keep traffic moving, but there are a lot of people, so it's complicated," she said.
The French in Belgium were called on to vote in the first round of the French presidential election on Sunday. Voting is also possible at the French consulate in Brussels, as well as in Antwerp, Arlon, Charleroi, Waterloo, Ghent, Liège, Mons, Mouscron, Namur, Tournai and Waterloo.
A more detailed list of the locations can be found on the French embassy website.
