From January 1, 2025, Flanders will have roughly 200 fewer local representatives, announced regional Interior Minister Gwendolyn Rutten (Open VLD) with an eye on the upcoming local elections in October.
The main reason for the decline is the merger of 13 northern municipalities.
The number of representatives per municipality is determined by its population figure. Between 2018 and 2024, the population in Flanders increased by 4%, growing from 6,546,785 to 6,815,968.
This population growth leads to an increase in representatives by about 120 people spread across 50 municipalities.
However, this increase is offset by a reduction of 351 representatives (16 deputies, 247 communal councillors, and 88 CPAS councillors) in newly merged municipalities.
In addition, there’s a decrease of one deputy in each of the seven previously merged municipalities, bringing the total to 358 fewer mandates.
