Team Ypres narrowly obtains the absolute majority. Katrien Desomer, the list pusher, receives the most preferential votes. Desomer also receives more preferential votes than current mayor and party colleague Emmily Talpe. “I will be the first alderman on the side of Desomer. Two strong women in the city council,” says Talpe.
This article will be continuously updated on election day.
All polling stations in Ypres have now been counted, the distribution of seats: Team Ypres gets 17 seats, Vooruit 12, Vlaams Belang 3 and Groen 1. It is striking that Katrien Desomer, as a list pusher, gets the most preference votes. She also has more than current mayor Emmily Talpe. Yet both women want to manage together. “I will be the first alderman on the side of Desomer. Two strong women in the city council,” says Talpe.
These were historic elections in 2018: Emmily Talpe stunted with her liberals and pushed Katrien Desomer’s CD&V into opposition for the first time. Open Ypres increased from 4 to 9 seats (24.4 percent) and Talpe became the most popular politician with 3,904 preferential votes. The loser of the elections was the former cartel of CD&V and N-VA, which had controlled the city for two legislatures. Of the 21 joint cartel seats, CD&V retained 10 seats (28.7 percent), N-VA ended up with 3 seats (11.4 percent). Vooruit retained 5 seats (16.2 percent). Groen (9.7 percent) and Vlaams Belang (9.6 percent) each obtained 2 seats. The new coalition consisted of three parties: Open Ypres, Vooruit and N-VA.
Today, something has changed in the political landscape of Ypres. Alderman Patrick Benoot died earlier this year and was not replaced. For the rest, the council of aldermen remained unchanged, but political relations have changed significantly. Vooruit has openly criticized the mayor and coalition since the announcement of the city list, a new list of coalition partners Open Ypres and N-VA with opposition party CD&V.
The city list calls itself Team Ypres. The party leader is current mayor Emmily Talpe (Open Ypres). Vooruit makes its first alderman Philip Bolle the party leader. Nancy Six broke away from Vlaams Belang in the past legislature, founded IEPER2030, but now returns as party leader of Vlaams Belang. Groen said goodbye to former party leader and faction leader Jordy Sabels, who moved. Party leader Sam Vancayseele is the new party leader there. Two new lists have been submitted in Ypres: SVD with party leader Alain Stratsaert and LAMOOT, the one-man list of Frederic Lamoot.
This article will be supplemented with analyzes and responses as soon as possible on election day, October 13, 2024.
