The Brussels municipality of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode is entering a new period of electoral campaign, between now and February 9, for a new election following the cancellation of that of October 13 following the observation of irregularities concerning a few hundred proxies.
The different participating lists are the same, like the main protagonists starting with Mayor Emir Kir. He indicated on Tuesday that his list, with an excellent score in October – it had won 17 seats out of 29 – would not change one iota. It is not the same for the others. The PS list led by Philippe Boiketé (6 seats in October) saw seven departures with, according to the latter, the arrival of “candidates committed to the left” – two candidates with union experience in addition to two, and four new candidates working in the world of teaching and training. Ecolo-Groen (4 seats), still led by Ahmed Mouhssin, will experience three changes. In third place, Filip Huyghe replaces Fred Roekens.
Three other changes occur in two places that are not directly eligible and in 21st, with the arrival of Jérôme Dayez, a painter and author of frescoes in public spaces. The Engagés-CD&V-MR cartel list, which had won two seats in October, will be led by Saïd Benhammou and the former socialist alderwoman of Urban Planning and Culture, Loubna Jabakh, whose arrival was announced during the last month.
Team Fouad Ahidar will take part in the new electoral sequence
The “Team Fouad Ahidar” list will once again take part in the new election organized in Saint-Josse where the elections last October were canceled by the jurisdictional college.
It will do so with a list of 16 candidates distributed equally between men and women, and from all professional and social backgrounds (architect, social worker, caregiver, civil servant, student, cleaning lady, worker). There will be candidates aged 18 to 67, she announced Monday. The list will again be drawn by Ibrahim Dankus and followed by Nesrin Mahmoud. “With this new list, our objective is clear: to enter the municipal council of Saint-Josse and work at the service of all Tenoodois”, underlined Ibrahim Dankus, quoted in a press release from Team Ahidar. Unlike its results in other municipalities, Team Fouad Ahidar recorded a mixed result on the evening of October 13, obtaining 5.1% of the votes, but no seats. She hopes that the new electoral round will allow her to enter the municipal council.
■ Saint-Josse municipal files
In its cancellation decision of November 19, the jurisdictional panel noted, for 66 proxies, an irregularity due to lack of signature, incomplete data and/or lack of certificates. Fifty others were signed on election day either by the mayor or by his delegate, which did not make it possible to certify that they were submitted within the legal deadline, at the latest the day before the election. The jurisdictional college had noted in particular that the addition of these two series of irregular proxies was in itself higher than the number of votes missing for Team Fouad Ahidar to enter the municipal council and for Ecolo to obtain a headquarters in this Brussels municipality.
Belgian
■ Explanations of Lisa Saint-Ghislain
