1.  Belgium welcomes its very first black mayor

Pierre Kompany, father of Belgian Red Devils star player Vincent Kompany, becomes the very first black mayor in the history of Belgium following his party’s victory in the Brussels commune of Ganshoren. The newly-elected mayor was born in the city of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1947. He came to Belgium as a refugee in 1975 and acquired Belgian citizenship in 1982.

After joining the Humanist Democratic Center (cdH), Kompany was elected to the council of Ganshoren in 2006 and appointed alderman for public works, mobility, and environment. He was re-elected in 2012 under the party ProGanshoren composed of cdH, the Christian Democratic and Flemish party (CD&V), and independent candidates.

With ProGanshoren’s triumph in last Sunday’s elections, Kompany unseats Robert Genard of the Reformist Movement (MR). His ground-breaking election also places Ganshoren on the map. One of Brussels lesser-known communes, Ganshoren will now be remembered as the first Belgian commune to elect a mayor of African origin.

2.   Record number of women elected

339 female candidates won a seat in the Brussels region. They now make up 48.8% of elected officials, a considerable leap from 41.5% in 2012 and 42.2% in 2006. Auderghem has the highest number of women elected or 20 out of 31 seats while Saint-Josse-ten-Noode has the fewest with only 10 women out of 29 elected officials. Women are the majority in the communes of Auderghem, Ganshoren, Ixelles, Saint-Gilles, Uccle, Watermael-Boitsfort, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. 

3.   First time Brussels has 4 mayors of non-Belgian origin

A big salute to diversity in Brussels. Aside from Pierre Kompany, three other politicians are on the roster of Brussels mayors with foreign roots. Koekelberg’s new mayor, Ahmed Laaouej, comes from a Moroccan family. Newly-elected Ixelles mayor Christos Doulkeridis descends from a line of Pontic Greeks. Re-elected mayor of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode Emir Kir was born to Turkish immigrants.

4.  Greens’ historic rise to the top

Ecolo-Groen achieved several milestones this year. First, there are now three Brussels communes with mayors coming from the green alliance: Ixelles, Forest, and Watermael-Boitsfort.

In Ixelles, Ecolo-Groen finally leaves the minority and becomes the leading party with head candidate Doulkeridis replacing MR’s Dominique Dufourny. Stéphane Roberti dethrones Socialist Party’s Marc-Jean Ghyssels in Forest while Olivier Deleuze gets another term as bourgmestre of Watermael-Boitsfort. The green party also penetrates the majority for the first time in several communes including Anderlecht, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels City, Koekelberg, and Uccle. 

Overall, Ecolo-Groen showed a significant increase in votes compared to the last elections, earning more seats in all Brussels communes except Molenbeek where Ecolo and Groen ran as separate parties.

5.  A breakthrough for the red party

Aside from the greens, the reds also proved to be a formidable presence in the October 14 elections. From only two elected members in 2012, PTB*PVDA (Workers’ Party of Belgium) now has 36 councillors in seven communes. The left-wing party makes its first entrance in several communes including Anderlecht, Forest, and Saint-Gilles. And if negotiations with the Socialist Party pan out, PTB*PVDA may even join the majority in Molenbeek.

6.    Major defeat for the liberals

The Reformist Movement (MR) takes its place among the biggest losers of the Brussels communal elections. The liberals will have to relinquish their position of power in four out of six communes following the defeat of Françoise Schepmans in Molenbeek, Philippe Pivin in Koekelberg, Dufourny in Ixelles, and Genard in Ganshoren. Only Vincent de Wolf of Etterbeek and Boris Dilliès of Uccle are returning as mayors.

7.   Socialists get the highest number of mayors in the Brussels region

In 2012, PS and MR both had six mayors each in the Brussels region. This year, PS tops the list with seven mayors: Eric Tomas in Anderlecht, Philippe Close in Brussels City, Rudy Vervoort in Evere, Ahmed Laaouej in Koekelberg, Catherine Moureaux in Molenbeek, Charles Picqué in Saint-Gilles, and Emir Kir in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. Moureaux is also the only remaining female mayor in Brussels after the exit of Dufourny in Ixelles. MR drops to two mayors after losing in four communes. Four other mayors come from cdH, three from DéFI, and three from Ecolo-Groen. 

8.     A big boost in the number of non-Belgian voters and candidates

Although it’s not an outcome of the elections, it’s worth mentioning that out of 285,413 eligible non-Belgian voters in the Brussels region, close to 50,000 registered to vote in last Sunday’s elections. In 2012, only 34,172 non-Belgians registered for the communal elections in Brussels. Tireless media campaigns such as VoteBrussels made a huge difference in getting more non-Belgians to participate in the elections this year.

More than 300 EU citizens also joined the communal race with 25 getting elected mostly in Ixelles, Etterbeek, Saint-Gilles, Uccle, and Molenbeek. Most of them belong to Ecolo-Groen and MR.

The post 8 unforgettable outcomes of the Brussels communal elections appeared first on Brussels Express.

He arrived to the country in 1975 as a refugee from what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Although he is perhaps best known for his famous sons (Vincent and Francois), Pierre became involved in politics as a city councilor in 2006, and took a seat in the Brussels regional parliament in 2014.

Vincent Kompany plays for Manchester City, as well as on the Belgium national team, while Francois plays for KSV Roeselare. Both of them congratulated their father on Instagram.

The post First person of color elected as mayor in Belgium: Pierre Kompany appeared first on Brussels Express.

ANDERLECHT
Mayor: Eric Tomas – Socialist Party (PS) – re-elected
Majority: PS – Ecolo-Groen – DéFI

AUDERGHEM
Mayor: Didier Gosuin – Democratic, Federalist, Independent (DéFI) – re-elected
Majority: ongoing negotiations

BERCHEM-SAINTE-AGATHE
Mayor: Joël Riguelle – Humanist Democratic Center (cdH) – re-elected
Majority: cdH – PS-sp.a – Ecolo-Groen

BRUSSELS CITY
Mayor: Philippe Close (PS) – continuing
Majority: PS – Ecolo-Groen – change.brussels

ETTERBEEK
Mayor: Vincent De Wolf (MR) – re-elected
Majority: MR – PS – Ecolo-Groen

EVERE
Mayor: Rudi Vervoort (PS) – re-elected
Majority: PS – DéFI

FOREST
Mayor: Stéphane Roberti (Ecolo-Groen) – newly elected
Majority: Ecolo-Groen – Reformist Movement (MR) – cdH 

GANSHOREN
Mayor: Pierre Kompany (cdH) – newly elected
Majority: ProGanshoren/cdH – MR – DéFI

IXELLES
Mayor: Christos Doulkeridis (Ecolo-Groen) – newly elected
Majority: Ecolo-Groen – PS-sp.a

JETTE
Mayor: Hervé Doyen (cdH) – re-elected
Majority: cdH – Ecolo-Groen – MR

KOEKELBERG
Mayor: Ahmed Laaouej (PS) – newly elected
Majority: PS – Ecolo-Groen – Alternative Humaniste

MOLENBEEK-SAINT-JEAN
Mayor: Catherine Moureaux (PS) – newly elected
Majority: ongoing discussions with Ecolo and PTB*PVDA (Workers’ Party of Belgium)

SAINT-GILLES
Mayor: Charles Picqué (PS) – re-elected
Majority: ongoing discussions with Ecolo-Groen

SAINT-JOSSE-TEN-NOODE
Mayor: Emir Kir (PS) – re-elected
Majority: PS-sp.a

SCHAERBEEK
Mayor: Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI) – re-elected
Majority: DéFI – Ecolo-Groen

UCCLE
Mayor: Boris Dilliès (MR) – re-elected
Majority: MR – cdH – Ecolo-Groen

WATERMAEL-BOITSFORT
Mayor: Olivier Deleuze (Ecolo-Groen) – re-elected
Majority: Ecolo-Groen – MR

WOLUWE-SAINT-LAMBERT
Mayor: Olivier Mangain (DéFI) – re-elected
Majority: ongoing negotiations

WOLUWE-SAINT-PIERRE
Mayor: Benoît Cerexhe (cdH) – re-elected
Majority: cdH – Ecolo-Groen – DéFI

The post Local elections recap: Who will govern your commune for the next 6 years? appeared first on Brussels Express.

For the first time in history, a member of the Green party will occupy the top position in Ixelles, traditionally ruled by liberals from the Reformist Movement (MR). Ecolo-Groen’s Christos Doulkeridis will replace MR’s Dominique Dufourny as bourgmestre or mayor of Ixelles.

With 33.05% of votes yielding 16 seats in the Ixelles council, Ecolo-Groen won the highest number of votes in yesterday’s communal elections. The party also gained 5 more seats compared to the last elections in 2012.

Aside from Ixelles, Forest will also have its first Green mayor in history. Ecolo-Groen dominated in the elections with 25.26% of votes, but nearly got pushed out of the majority during negotiations.

Following the deliberations, Ecolo-Groen finally succeeded in forming a coalition with the Reformist Movement (MR) and the Humanist Democratic Center (cdH). Ecolo’s head candidate Stéphane Roberti will take over as bourgmestre of Forest after Marc-Jean Ghyssels of the Socialist Party (PS).

Meanwhile, Ecolo-Groen’s Olivier Deleuze will stay on as bourgmestre of Watermael-Boitsfort following another green victory in the commune. The ecologists will continue working with MR-GM (Reformist Movement-Gestion Municipale).

Aside from conquering three communes in the Brussel region, the green party also advances from the minority to the majority in several communes including Anderlecht, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels City, Koekelberg, and Uccle.

The post Ixelles and Forest to have a Green mayor for the first time appeared first on Brussels Express.

For the first time, Ecolo-Groen won the highest number of seats in Ixelles with 33.05% of votes, and in Forest with 25.26% of votes. It remains the top party in Watermael-Boitsfort after obtaining 34.57% of votes, up by 10 percentage points from the 2012 elections.

Thank you for you support @mediawhizz 💚

Here⤵️ you will find our 10 proposals to tackle very bad #airquality😷 in Ixelles!

Région bruxelloise & Federal level have also to act, but Communes have to do their share!

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— Bertrand Wert (@bertrandwert) October 13, 2018

The green party landed second in Auderghem, Brussels City, Etterbeek, Evere, Jette, Saint-Gilles, Saint-Josse, Schaerbeek, Uccle, and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. Nevertheless, results showed a substantial increase in the number of votes won by the party this year compared to the last communal elections.

In Anderlecht, Koekelberg and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, the ecologists ranked third but gained more votes this year than they did in the 2012 communal elections. They won three more seats in Anderlecht for a total of 8 seats, four more seats in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre for a total of seven seats, and one more seat in Koekelberg for a total of four seats.

The post Historic win for the Green party in the 2018 communal elections appeared first on Brussels Express.

1. Ecolo-Groen
2. Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest)
3. DéFI (Democratic, Federalist, Independent)
4. PS-sp.a-cdH (Socialist Party – Socialist Party Differently – Humanist Democratic Center)
5. CD&V Plus (Christian Democratic and Flemish)
6. N-VA (New Flemish Alliance)
7. PTB*PVDA (Workers’ Party of Belgium)
8. MR-Open VLD-IC (Reformist Movement – Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats)
9. La Droite
10. Nation

AUDERGHEM

1. Liste Citoyenne 1160 (cdH, independent candidates)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. Liste du Bourgmestre (DéFI, independent candidates)
4. PS (Socialist Party)
5. N-VA (New Flemish Alliance)
6. MR-Open VLD (Reformist Movement – Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats)
7. SAMEN (CD&V, sp.a, independent candidates)
8. Parti Populaire (People’s Party)
9. PTB*PVDA (Workers’ Party of Belgium)

BERCHEM-SAINTE-AGATHE

1. Ecolo-Groen
2. Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest)
3. DéFI (Democratic, Federalist, Independent)
4. PS-sp.a+ (Socialist Party – Socialist Party Differently)
5. N-VA (New Flemish Alliance)
6. Open MR (Reformist Movement – Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats)
7. Liste du Bourgmestre (cdH-CD&V, Berch’m)

BRUSSELS CITY

1. cdH-CD&V+ (Humanist Democratic Center – Christian Democratic and Flemish)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest)
4. DéFI (Democratic, Federalist, Independent)
5. PS (Socialist Party)
6. MR-VLD (Reformist Movement – Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats)
7. N-VA (New Flemish Alliance)
8. PTB*PVDA (Workers’ Party of Belgium)
9. Change.Brussels
10. PLAN B
11. Citoyen d’Europe M3E
12. Islam
13. La Droite
14. Salem

ETTERBEEK

1. Alternative cdH (Humanist Democratic Center)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. DéFI (Democratic, Federalist, Independent)
4. PS-sp.a+ (Socialist Party – Socialist Party Differently)
5. Liste du Bourgmestre (MR, independent candidates)
6. Volt België-Belgique

EVERE

1. Humanistes Everois (cdH, independent candidates)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. DéFI (Democratic, Federalist, Independent)
4. N-VA (New Flemish Alliance)
5. MR (Reformist Movement)
6. Liste du Bourgmestre (PS, independent candidates)
7. Nation
8. Parti Populaire (People’s Party)

FOREST

1. cdH
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. DéFI
4. Liste du Bourgmestre (PS, independent candidates)
5. PTB*PVDA
6. MR
7. Forest en Mieux
8. Chrétien

GANSHOREN

1. ProGanshoren (cdH, independent candidates)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. DéFI
4. Ensemble-Samen”Carthé (PS, sp.a, Open VLD)
5. N-VA
6. Liste du Bourgmestre (MR, independent candidates)

IXELLES

1. Objectif XL (Humanist Democratic Center-cdH, independent candidates)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. DéFI (Democratic, Federalist, Independent)
4. PS – sp.a (Socialist Party – Socialist Party Differently)
5. N-VA (New Flemish Alliance)
6. PTB*PVDA (Workers’ Party of Belgium)
7. Liste de la Bourgmestre (Reformist Movement-MR, Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats, independent candidates)
8. Volt België-Belgique

JETTE

1. LBJETTE (cdH, CD&V, independent candidates)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest)
4. DéFI
5. PS – sp.a
6. N-VA
7. MR
8. Les Démocrates

KOEKELBERG

      1.  Alternative Humaniste (cdH, independent candidates)
      2.  Ecolo-Groen
      3.  PS
      4.  N-VA
      5.  LB (MR, Open VLD, DéFI, sp.a, CD&V)
      6.  Citoyen d’Europe M3E

MOLENBEEK

1. cdH-CD&V+ (Humanist Democratic Center – Christian Democratic and Flemish)
2. Ecolo Samen
3. DéFI
4. PS – sp.a
5. N-VA
6. PTB*PVDA
7. Groen
8. Liste Bourgmestre (MR, Open VLD)
9. Citoyen d’Europe M3E
10. Islam
11. Molenbeek Act

SAINT-GILLES

1. cdH + CD&V (Humanist Democratic Center – Christian Democratic and Flemish)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. DéFI (Democratic, Federalist, Independent)
4. Liste du Bourgmestre (Socialist Party-PS, independent candidates)
5. PTB*PVDA (Workers’ Party of Belgium)
6. MR (Reformist Movement)
7. B.U.B. (Belgische Unie – Union Belge)
8. Gauches Communes
9. QQVF (Qu-est-ce qu’on va faire?)

SAINT-JOSSE

1. cdH + independent
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. DéFI
4. LB Liste du Bourgmestre (PS, sp.a)
5. N-VA
6. MR-Open VLD
7. Liste Communale

SCHAERBEEK

1. cdH-CD&V+
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. Vlaams Belang
4. Liste Bourgmestre (DéFI, independent candidates)
5. PS-sp.a
6. N-VA
7. PTB*PVDA
8. MR & Citoyens
9. Citoyen d’Europe M3E

UCCLE

1. cdH
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. DéFI
4. PS
5. N-VA
6. MR
7. Uccle en Avant
8. Citoyen d’Europe M3E

WATERMAEL-BOITSFORT

1. Générations Humanistes (cdH, independent candidates)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. DéFI
4. PS-sp.a Cause Commune
5. MR Gestion Municipale
6. X²YZ
7. Nos Votes
8. Parti Populaire

WOLUWE-SAINT-LAMBERT

1. WolHu (cdH)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. Liste du Bourgmestre (DéFI)
4. PS-sp.a
5. MR+
6. Demos

WOLUWE-SAINT-PIERRE

1. Liste du Bourgmestre (cdH, liberals, independent candidates)
2. Ecolo-Groen
3. DéFI pour Woluwe1150
4. PS-sp.a
5. Open MR (MR, Open VLD)

The post Elections rundown: Which political parties are running in your commune? appeared first on Brussels Express.

• call 0800 200 35 of the Demography Department of the City of Brussels: the municipality will send a duplicate of the voting card by post (until Tuesday evening 9 October 2018)
• go to the Administrative Centre (2nd floor, counter 7) without a ticket (Monday to Wednesday from 8:30 am to 3 pm, Thursday from 8:30 am to 6 pm, Friday from 8:30 am till noon, Saturday 13 October from 9 am to 4 pm and Sunday 14 October from 9 am till noon) or one of the liaison offices (Louise, Laeken, Neder-Over-Heembeek)
• go to their usual polling station with their ID card (the polling station where you have to vote and your voter’s number will be communicated there)

The post Haven’t you received your voting card yet? appeared first on Brussels Express.

Nothing has been planned to encourage visitors to use the tram or bus network in order to avoid road congestion, and amazingly no provision for parking at the Museum has been made. It is nothing short of a scandal that €70 million was spent on the renovation and expansion of the Museum but that nothing was done to provide for transport and parking solutions. Local residents have appealed to the Mayor to postpone the re-opening of the museum until a total transport solution including good parking provision has been agreed.

Originally it was planned to build an underground car park but somehow this idea was abandoned on the grounds of cost, and an alternative parking solution and bus terminus is being looked at by the commune which would involve the alienation of open green space, outside the boundary of the Museum, in a residential area nearby. Questions are being asked whether planning requirements have been cut short, and if so, why this could have happened in the framework of such a major project.

This debacle has been received very badly by people living in the neighbourhood, who have been incensed by the failure of the Mayor to consult them, and who have hired town planning lawyers to contest the proposals of the Tervuren Commune. Their main objections relate to the damage that would be caused to the living environment, the dangers to pedestrians and cyclists posed by the temporary solutions proposed, and the cavalier attitude of the Tervuren Commune in riding rough shod over local opinion and failing to require the Africa Museum to provide underground parking within the boundary of their territory as was always originally envisaged.

A veritable scandal is starting to bubble to the surface, at precisely the wrong time for councillors looking for re-election in the October regional council elections. What the Mayor of Tervuren, and his Councillors have failed to take into account is that times have changed, and with the internationalisation of Brussels, more and more expatriate voters are taking an interest in local politics, and their voice added to the many voices of long term village residents about their quality of life simply cannot be ignored. The expatriates are well integrated with their neighbours; they are not eccentric bigots, and they have a genuine interest in helping the commune to find the best possible solution to local problems, and to contributing positively to local debate with their knowledge and experience. The Tervuren Commune is a classic example of a Brussels suburb with a high percentage of expatriates who do take a constructive interest in local affairs and empathise with their neighbours.

The residents of this part of the village object to their green open space being alienated and have come up with a number of solutions for the Tervuren Commune Administration to consider, such as making use of the existing new and under-utilised underground car park in the centre of Tervuren, and operating a shuttle bus to the Museum, or making greater use of the parking for the adjacent Colonies Palace, and introducing a charging system for it, or refurbishing and improving the existing separate parking lot for the tram terminus.

The residents are keen to be genuinely consulted by the commune and for their views to be taken into consideration; the electoral process can only benefit from this, but it remains to be seen whether the community can come together and work out a solution, or whether the scandal will degenerate into a frozen legal process. Such an outcome would be in nobody’s interest, and it is to be hoped that the elections on October 14th will catalyse a constructive and positive debate between local politicians and residents leading to a healthy compromise solution and a sustainable transport strategy for the village.

The post Sustainable Transport Strategy needed for Tervuren appeared first on Brussels Express.

VoteBrussels estimates that 1/3 of new voters came from our campaign with non-partisan partners, another 1/3 from the work of the Brussels Region and another 1/3 from communal administrations and candidates.

The official statistics are out: in Brussels, the number of non-Belgians voters doubled to reach 49,406 in just 5 months. Back in March, nearly one-third of the total Brussels electorate – 250,000 residents (89% European Union citizens)—was not registered to vote. That means the registration rate has risen to 17%, an increase of 24% compared to the 2012 local elections.

49,406 voters–that’s enough to elect 54 city councilors and 11 aldermen across the 19 communes. Plus, each city council will need on average 36 more votes to get elected, so October’s elections will be more competitive and inclusive for everyone.

So why was 2018 so much successful than 2012? The Brussels authorities started at a disadvantage. Although non-Belgians could have registered at any time during the past six years, most communes did not start to inform or register them until June—two months before the deadline. In addition, striking disparities persist across the 19 communes because most communes did not do much more in 2018 than in 2012.

Those communes with the most active administrations and candidates – Bruxelles Ville, Etterbeek, Ixelles, Schaerbeek, Saint Gilles, Saint Josse – saw the greatest increases in their registration rates and numbers.

The big difference in 2018? For the 1st time, the Region, the European Commission and the Brussels Commissioner for Europe got involved and worked with VoteBrussels to adopt the most effective methods for voter registration:

1) Multilingual websites and letters sent to all potential voters and to all EU staff
2) Email applications accepted in 15 of the 19 communes
3) Funding for non-partisan volunteer networks like VoteBrussels and Objectif to answer any questions through face-to-face presentations and social media

If Brussels continues to use these effective methods over the next 6 years then, by the next elections, the majority of non-Belgians could be active participants and even voters in our local democracy. VoteBrussels will soon be publishing a Carte Blanche with its full evaluation and recommendations for voter registration.

The post Number of non-Belgian voters doubled across Brussels appeared first on Brussels Express.

1.   With the help of political parties

Since the campaign period for the communal elections officially began on July 14, political parties are now more visible around Brussels. Some of them have been assisting non-Belgians in the registration process.

In Schaerbeek, the Socialist Party (PS) will be at the weekly market at Place des Chasseurs Ardennais at 5:00 pm today and next Friday to help you get registered. In Ixelles, Ecolo-Groen’s “voting box” campaign will be back in Place Flagey tomorrow, July 21, from 10:00 to 12:00. Just drop by, fill up a voter form, and shoot it straight into the box. Objectif XL will continue distributing voter forms around Ixelles. The party will process everything for you. 

2.   By email

Voter forms for EU citizens and non-EU citizens are all available online. Just complete and sign the form, prepare a photocopy of your Belgian ID, and email them to your commune. You can even do that while you’re on vacation. Emailed voter forms are now accepted by Brussels communes except Anderlecht, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Jette, and Koekelberg. You can get the email address of your commune here. 

3.   By post

You can send your documents by ordinary mail. The post box is just a few minutes’ walk away. And in this lovely summer weather, a nice little walk wouldn’t hurt. The mailing addresses of the communes are provided here. 

4.   A quick trip to the communal hall

You can drop by the population or electoral services department of your commune and submit your documents personally.

After submitting your voter form, you will get an official notice confirming your registration. A few weeks before election day, you will receive a notification to vote in the communal elections. You must present this notification and your Belgian ID when you go to the polling station on October 14.

Let’s not forget, voting is not obligatory for non-Belgians. But in case you registered but cannot make it on the day of elections, you have two options:

1.   Vote by proxy

You can ask another registered voter to cast a ballot for you. There are four common circumstances under which you can vote by proxy: illness or invalidity, work or duty, studies, and if you’re abroad. You just have to fill up and sign the applicable proxy form and provide a certificate that attests your situation. Your designated voter must bring these documents to the polling station, along with the notification to vote you received from the commune, and the proxy’s Belgian ID and notification to vote.

2.   Deregister

All you have to do is send a simple, written declaration to your commune to cancel your registration. Remember that you only need to register once to be able to vote in all local elections. So if you no longer wish to vote in future elections, you can simply deregister.

Or better yet, you can go and exercise your right to vote. Communal elections only happen once in six years, and voting won’t take more than a few minutes. There are more than 300,000 non-Belgians in Brussels and if they all vote, they will represent one-third of the electorate.  Your vote could contribute to realizing that huge potential to influence politics and effect changes in your commune.

You can get more information on the communal elections from the Brussels Commissioner for Europe, Elections 2018 Brussels, and VoteBrussels. 

The post 4 ways and 12 days to register for the communal elections appeared first on Brussels Express.