This article will be continuously updated on election day.
The situation before 13/10 in Sint-Gillis-Waas
Mayor: Maaike De Rudder (CD&V)
Majority
CD&V: 32.7 percent (9 seats)
Groen-Vooruit: 16.4 percent (4 seats)
Opposition
N-VA: 33.1 percent (10 seats)
Vlaams Belang (later independent): 10.8 percent (2 seats)
Participating parties on 13/10: CD&V-Vooruit, Vlaams Belang, N-VA, Meerdangroen, BBB&VoorU.
In the previous municipal elections in 2018, the N-VA of leader Koen Daniëls narrowly became the largest party in Sint-Gillis-Waas with 33.1 percent. The party achieved barely 0.4 percentage points more than CD&V, but with ten seats it has one more seat than the Christian Democrats in the council.
The cartel Sp.a-Groen just reached the 10 percent threshold and thus won four seats. The remaining two seats were for Vlaams Belang, but the two councilors resigned from the party in 2021 and continued as independents.
Despite the fact that N-VA became the largest party in the municipality, it was still referred to the opposition benches. CD&V joined forces with the cartel Sp.a-Groen and narrowly achieved a majority.
Since the largest party will soon be able to take up the right of initiative to try to form a majority, cartels have been put together in a number of municipalities in recent months in order to claim that title. This is also the case in Sint-Gillis-Waas, because there the CD&V of current mayor Maaike De Rudder is appealing to voters together with Vooruit. As a result of that decision, the socialist party unceremoniously pushed aside its current cartel partner Groen. However, Groen had the intention to do business with Vooruit again, but according to the party they had made it clear that they only wanted to appeal to voters.
Expectation
The fact that N-VA won the elections in 2018 and became the largest party, but was unable to take control, is still resonant. According to Koen Daniëls (N-VA), after previous municipal elections, residents were not listened to and the municipal council continued to build on their momentum. “This time we want to become the largest and manage and deliver the mayor,” says Koen Daniëls.
Daniëls received more than 2,000 preferential votes in 2018 and in June, making him head and shoulders above the rest. Mayor Maaike De Rudder received ‘only’ 918 votes in 2018. Nicole de Moor must step in to resist the voting cannon as a tandem.
In Sint-Gillis-Waas the puzzle can only be put together in a number of ways given the limited number of puzzle pieces. If N-VA and CD&V keep each other in balance and neither achieve an absolute majority, the number of seats of MeerdanGroen will probably become a decisive factor.
This article will be supplemented with analyzes and responses as soon as possible on election day, October 13, 2024.
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