“The polls showed us beaten”
“And yet, the polls showed us beaten,” he insisted in front of his enthusiastic supporters. But in the end, “freedom and well-being won. We won for the third time in a row; we remain the largest party in Antwerp (at 37.2%), we remain the People’s Party of Antwerp.
All the results of the 2024 municipal elections live on this page, by entering the name of your municipality
“It is your victory,” he continued in the same spirit, “because a Roman legion can only win if everyone does their duty. This is what you did: thank you (in French ) from the bottom of my heart!”
Bart De Wever succeeded in transforming this election “into a duel between Jos D’Haese, the head of the PvdA (PTB) list and him. By warning against ‘communist’ management of the city”, analyzed Carl Devos.
The vain appeal of the foot of Vlaams Belang
The far right was also celebrating. “We are going to have a mayor in Ninove,” declared the president of Vlaams Belang, Tom Van Grieken. (see below). “And in Schoten (editor’s note: a town neighboring Antwerp) where I was a candidate, our party progressed by 11% and I gathered more votes than the outgoing mayor. The N-VA is still in the lead there But I note that seven out of ten residents voted for our two parties, and therefore demand hard right-wing management.”
The N-VA will have the initiative in Antwerp, and with its 23 seats out of 55, it will only need an agreement with Vooruit (7 elected) to benefit from a comfortable majority. And Bart De Wever does not intend to negotiate with Vlaams Belang, nor with the PvdA, which came in second position at 20.2%. “We will have to address voters who voted on the extreme right and the extreme left,” he announced. “Because social expectations are high. Particularly in terms of housing, which is often too expensive for young people.”
The end of the voting obligation in question?
With a very good score (29,986 votes), but still outclassed by Bart De Wever (59,309 votes), Jos D’Haese declared himself “divided between, firstly, pride in our progress: there is six years, we only had four elected officials; today we have twelve And the regret that the establishment of a progressive majority in Antwerp is impossible. must be developed.”
Municipal elections 2024: Conner Rousseau speaks of “a red wave across Flanders”
The leader of the PvDA partly blamed the end of compulsory voting for municipal elections in Flanders to explain its (relative failure). “It is not normal for the political decision to be taken by 60% of the electorate.”
Some liberal successes
Elsewhere in Flanders, in Mechelen, the Voor Mechelen (For Mechelen) list, led by the outgoing mayor, Bart Somers, came out on top, but nevertheless lost 9.9% and 6 seats compared to 2018. Which will force him to seek a coalition.
This will not be the case for Alexander De Croo, the resigning Prime Minister, in his town of Brakel. His liberal list has however lost 10.7% and two seats compared to 2018, but it remains in the majority with 13 elected out of 25. “Compared to the month of June, we have progressed by 10%” he retorted to the questions which insisted on this decline. The art of getting back on your feet!
Ninove: The far right in power
Six years ago, he was only a few votes short, and an alternative majority was established. This Sunday evening, Vlaams Belang triumphed in Ninove, where, under the Forza Ninove label, the list led by D’haeseleer credited with 8,552 personal votes, secured a narrow majority of 18 seats out of 35. With a strong progression of 7.4% compared to 2018, which nevertheless earned him 475 fewer votes, due to a (high) participation of 73.5%. The game is not over, because a complaint has been filed for electoral fraud, “but there is no question that our success will be taken away from us” has already warned the president of the far-right party, Tom Van Grieken .
Genk : Zuhal Demir and échec
Zuhal Demir, Flemish Minister (N-VA) of Education, Justice, and Labor announced, a few days ago, his preference for the mayoral sash in Genk, if his party won. If it was a bet, it was missed: the CD&V (43.2%), up 4.7% compared to 2018, largely won, ahead of the N-VA at 30.1% (+ 2 .5%). And the outgoing mayor, Wim Dries (10,378 votes) flatly defeated the minister (7,449 votes)… who will remain so. With 19 seats out of 39, the CD&V has the hand, facing the N-VA (13) or Vooruit (3), the Vlaams Belang and the PVDA (PTB), with two elected representatives each, being in principle out of the game, by principle. And for a too narrow majority.
Middelkerke: Le chant du cygne de Dedecker?
Did this Sunday mark the end of Jean-Marie Dedecker’s political career? The former coach of the national judo team, many years ago, announced that if his list did not regain the majority in Middelkerke, he would step down. With 43.3% of the votes for 37.3 for his main competing list, Respect, he failed by a neck, since he won 12 mandates out of 25. In the heat of the moment, however, he did not rule out a negotiation. But the two other parties in the running, Vlaams Belang and the N-VA, only won one elected official each. Enough for a majority. But a fragile majority. Unless he joins forces with his main competitor?
Fourons: Grégory Happart alderman?
The reduced participation in the vote (78.7%) in the facilitated municipality of Fourons reduced the result (61.2%, -1.9%), of the Flemish list Voerbelangen, which keeps 10 seats for 5 in the French-speaking opposition R@L (Respect-Avenir Liberté), increasing by the same rate to 38.8%. The mayor, Joris Gaens, won with 1,001 votes, should meet Grégory Happart at the municipal college, who won in number of votes over the outgoing minority alderman, Jean Levaux (483 votes against 436).
Saint-Nicolas: No mayoralty for Conner Rousseau
The president of Vooruit, Conner Rousseau, aspired to the mayorship of Saint-Nicolas. A priori, there will be no initiative, since it was the N-VA which came out on top at the polls (27.5%), ahead of the Flemish socialists (25.6%). Vlaams Belang follows at a distance at 19.5%. Alone, a coalition between the N-VA and Vooruit would succeed in bringing together a majority (26 seats out of 43), but Conner Rousseau would not then take on the mayoral sash. Provided that the “sanitary cordon” which isolates the extreme right still resists it. And that a majority including the N-VA and the PvdA does not seem imaginable.
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