As reflected in the number of municipalities above, some municipalities are merging. One of them, Borsbeek, merged with the city of Antwerp, becoming its tenth district.[2] In Wallonia, only Bastogne and Bertogne are merging. The mergers take effect following the 2024 elections, when the councils of the newly formed entities are elected.
Brussels
The municipal councils of the 19 municipalities were elected.
Voting is obligatory in Brussels and Walloon local elections.
Flanders
Elections posters in Leuven for the local elections of 2024
The Flemish decree of 16 July 2021 reformed the local electoral process, abolishing compulsory voting in Flemish local elections.[3] Voting remains obligatory in Brussels and Walloon local elections.
The decree also changed several election rules for Flemish municipal elections:
the list vote is abolished; only preference votes placed on specific candidates count.
The candidate with the highest number of preferences vote of the list with the most votes (as per votes placed on candidates) has the exclusive right to form a coalition during two weeks.
The candidate with the largest number of preference votes belonging to the most-popular party within the formed coalition will be mayor by law.
This incentivises forming larger, joint lists instead of smaller, separate ones.
Turnout was lower than expected, with on average 63.6% of voters casting a ballot.[4]Eeklo had the lowest turnout and Mesen the highest.
Electoral system
Municipal councils were elected by the Imperiali highest averages method, a form of open-list party-list proportional representation.[5]
Municipal elections
Antwerp
Two-term mayor Bart De Wever (N-VA) was a candidate to continue governing the most populous city, Antwerp.[6] Main challenger was PVDA with Jos D'Haese.
Gent
Open Vld (with mayor Mathias De Clercq) and Groen (with first alderman Filip Watteeuw [nl]) were the two main political parties since the 2018 elections. The current governing coalition is composed of Vooruit-Groen (a joint list in 2018), Open Vld and CD&V. Open Vld and Vooruit formed a joint "Voor Gent" list, opposing a Groen list.[7]
Mechelen
Bart Somers, mayor of Mechelen since 2001, became Flemish minister in 2019 but returned as mayor in November 2023. He headed the "Voor Mechelen" list, composed of the Open Vld, Groen and M+ governing coalition.[8]
Raes controversy
In September 2024, the Vlaams Belang sparked controversy by putting Roeland Raes who had previously been convicted of Holocaust denial as one of its candidates in the upcoming municipal elections before removing his candidacy the following day.[9][10]
