Candidate lists for the forthcoming October local elections in Brussels have been assigned their numbers.
The outcome of the draw was observed by Brussels Minister for Local Government, Bernard Clerfayt, as well as members of the press and key figures in Brussels politics, including the MR leader, Georges-Louis Bouchez, who made a special appearance despite Brussels not being his usual political scene.
"These local elections are a pivotal moment in local democracy," Bernard Clerfayt (MR) emphasised in his introduction.
In Brussels, they will also introduce several new features. Electronic voting will be the standard, with paper voting only permitted in rare cases where the implementation of electronic voting is impossible for one reason or another. The verification of voters will also be done electronically via a centralised list.
"This should facilitate voting in a different office other than the one stipulated in your polling card, in exceptional cases," Clerfayt added.
Moreover, in Brussels, the practice of holding both a parliamentary mandate and a post of mayor or councillor will come to an end. This, according to Bernard Clerfayt, "ensures we will have full-time mayors and councillors," while he pointed out Brussels as a pioneering region in this respect.
As for the lottery for the list numbers: Vooruit received number 1, DéFI number 2, CD&V number 3, Groen number 4, PS number 5, MR number 6, Ecolo number 7, Les Engagés number 8, N-VA number 9, Vlaams Belang number 10, Team Fouad Ahidar number 11, Open VLD number 12, and PTB/PVDA number 13.
The number determines the party’s position on the voting screens. If two parties form a shared list, they may choose between their respective numbers.
