The growing attention around the need for non-Belgians to register to vote ahead of the elections has not helped: Brussels' local democracy is at risk, according to the non-profit campaign group VoteBrussels.
While the number of eligible international voters in the Brussels-Capital Region increased by nearly 30,000 people, the non-Belgian voter registration rate only stands at 12% (down from 17%), according to recent figures published by the Belgian Interior Ministry.
Across all 19 Brussels municipalities, a third of all potential voters are non-Belgians (even up to half in some), but as they are not registering to vote in the local elections in October, the "democratic deficit" is growing, VoteBrussels warned.
"Belgium is a world leader in voter turnout but soon Brussels – the democratic world's most cosmopolitan city – may be heading for a democratic deficit with October’s local elections, where the majority of residents may not be represented or voting," Thomas Huddleston of VoteBrussels told The Brussels Times.
While it is well-known that about 50% of inhabitants in Etterbeek, Ixelles and Saint-Gilles are internationals, the numbers in less obvious municipalities are high as well. The number of potential non-Belgian voters in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre and Woluwe-Saint-Lambert stands at a third of the electorate, with Koekelberg and Uccle (both 31%) not far behind. In Saint-Josse-ten-Noode the percentage is as high as 41%.
"If these people do not come out to vote, city councillors can get elected with just a few hundred votes from 'their' electors, rather than respond to and reach out to an entire municipality," Huddleston said. "Internationals care about their municipality, they have ideas and contributions. They are Brussels, and Brussels is them."
So, did you forget to register for the elections this weekend? There is still time to register for the ones in October.
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