Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Nearly half of Brussels citizens didn’t vote in the regional elections due to incapacity or reluctance. A significant issue despite a rise in eligible international voters for upcoming local elections.
How has the number of international voters changed?
Almost one in two Brussels citizens did not vote in the regional elections on 9 June – either because they were incapable or reluctant to cast their vote, according to figures issued by the Belgian Interior Ministry. The number of qualified international voters in the Brussels-Capital Region grew by nearly 30,000 compared to the 2019 elections, but there is still a threat that about half of the potential electorate will not cast their vote – and will thus not be represented – at the local elections in October.
Will non-Belgian voters impact the upcoming local elections?
“What struck me about the regional election results is that the number of international voters is larger than the number of votes any party received,” Thomas Huddleston of the non-profit campaign group VoteBrussels said. Across all 19 Brussels municipalities, a third of all likely voters are non-Belgian. While most of those people could not poll in the regional elections, they will be capable of doing so in the local ones – if they report in time (the deadline is 31 July).
What surprised analysts about the regional election results?
“The numbers in the Brussels municipality of Ixelles, in certain, surprised me. MR came out as the largest party in the regional elections with 6,895 votes. But the number of qualified non-Belgian voters in Ixelles alone is 33,916,” Huddleston stated. “If even a quarter of them would sign up to the poll, the impact they could have is enormous.”
This consequence would be felt particularly in municipalities such as Etterbeek (4,714 votes for succeeding party MR compared to 17,966 possible international voters), Saint-Gilles (3,312 votes for succeeding PTB versus 18,136 internationals) and certainly Ixelles, where nearly half of the citizens are internationals, but smaller municipalities could also notice a major difference in election results.
In Koekelberg, the number of global voters (4,888) is more elevated than the largest party (PS, with 2,433 votes). Anderlecht homes 28,358 of eligible non-Belgium voters, and the biggest party there was PTB with just over 10,000 votes. In the City of Brussels, PS was the most extensive party with 14,459 votes, but some 51,665 non-Belgians residing there are eligible to vote. “This shows the shortage that we need to bridge if we desire to have the inclusive elections that we are considered to have,” Huddleston underlined.
How crucial are international voters in Brussels’ democratic landscape?
He also emphasised that these numbers prove that international voters could decide what the impact of the regional polls would be on the local elections in October. “Should the Brussels Regional Government evolve right-wing, for example, internationals could vote in the opposing direction for their municipality, which would massively contain the regional effect on their municipality?” “In a place where half of the voters are internationals, this demonstrates why the democratic obligation is so urgent,” Huddleston stated. “International voters are not just there as political instruments, they are equal residents. They reside there, they should have a say.”
How is VoteBrussels mobilizing voters before the enrollment deadline?
In the run-up to the 31 July enrollment deadline for the local elections, VoteBrussels is going to almost all Brussels municipalities to encourage internationals to register. “We are also promoting all the municipalities to send letters to qualified voters – which they are obliged to do under EU law. So we anticipate that a lot will be happening in this brief timeframe between now and 31 July.”
