The far-right Vlaams Belang party has proposed a joint candidate list with the N-VA for Brussels’s constituency in the upcoming June 9 elections. However, the N-VA has rejected the proposal.
The party believed that aggregating both Flemish nationalist parties – far-right and conservative – could have secured a seat in the capital.
In Brussels, several political families have formed common lists, primarily French-speaking but featuring Dutch-speaking figures. These include the likes of Minister Tinne Van der Straeten, who is third on the environmentalist list, and Secretary of State Alexia Bertrand, fourth on the MR-Open VLD list.
Notably, the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA) has reserved its second spot for Annick Van den Bosch from Antwerp, who is a trade union delegate at Delhaize.
Exploiting its favourable poll numbers, Vlaams Belang saw this as a "unique opportunity to make Brussels electoral history". Electing a Flemish MP in Brussels would liberate the Belgian capital from "French-speaking favouritism". The party has even offered to give the leading candidate of the list to N-VA.
The N-VA’s regional MP for Brussels Cieltje Van Achter revealed that her party was not approached by Vlaams Belang prior to their public announcement. She also highlighted that the party is not obliged to respond to Vlaams Belang’s statements. "We already have a complete list for the Chamber headed by Toby De Backer," Van Achter said.
Curiously, following the 2011 agreement to split the Brussels-Hal-Vilvorde district, the chances of a single Flemish party securing a representative from the capital on its own are very slim.
