Seven people have been arrested in the investigation into possible election fraud in the municipal elections in the Flemish municipality of Ninove – where Guy D'haeseleer became the country's first-ever mayor from the far-right Vlaams Belang party.
The suspects are being questioned on suspicion of forgery, particularly involving fraudulent proxy votes, confirmed by the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office after first reports by public broadcaster VRT.
"This is part of the investigation into electoral fraud," said press officer Annelies Verstraete. "Seven people were taken for questioning as suspects of forgery. The Prosecutor's Office will later decide what to do with the people, but we cannot give more information yet."
What happened?
The investigation began on election day (13 October 2024), after a local magistrate raised concerns about irregular proxy voting supported by falsified medical certificates. Some certificates reportedly had changed patient names, while signatures, stamps and dates were repeatedly duplicated.
In Ninove, proxies accounted for one in 14 votes – a remarkably high proportion compared to the national average. Authorities have since seized all proxy documents used in the Ninove elections.
Forza Ninove, led by D'haeseleer, won 47.4% of the vote, partly through proxy votes. The party obtained an absolute majority in Ninove, and list leader D'haeseleer became Flanders' first Vlaams Belang mayor.
Vlaams Belang's Guy D'haeseleer pictured during a meeting of 'Forza Ninove'. Credit: Belga/Nicolas Maeterlinck
For now, however, it remains unclear if D’haeseleer or Forza Ninove are directly involved in the investigation. Previously D’haeseleer denied any wrongdoing.
However, Forza Ninove actively promoted the use of proxy voting in the run-up to the elections. On the final page of its election programme, the party also included a phone number for voters to contact if they wished to assign a proxy vote to Forza Ninove.
As of the 13 October election, proxy vote manipulation became a criminal offence in Belgium and is now punishable by a prison sentence of up to one month or a fine.
Despite the ongoing investigation, the election results for Ninove remain valid: the legal deadline for contesting them has passed.
