Dentergem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Koenraad Degroote, mayor of Dentergem for over 35 years, started his 7th term despite an ongoing investigation into proxy voting complaints. The minister allowed his appointment, but the case continues.
Koenraad Degroote is the mayor of Dentergem, Belgium. He has been mayor for a long time, over 35 years. He just started his 7th term. According to the officials, some people think there might have been some cheating with the votes. They think people voted by proxy, but there were problems. A parliament member asked about it.
The minister confirmed that someone complained about the proxy voting system. Degroote found out about the investigation from the parliament member. But he already heard rumours that the police talked to people. Even though the investigation is still going on, the minister said Degroote can still be mayor. She said the prosecutor and the governor said it was okay.
Degroote says,
But the minister has now accepted my appointment, taking into account the advice of the public prosecutor’s office and the governor. I have always remained very calm about that. Everything went correctly.
Will Koenraad Degroote’s 7th term as Dentergem Mayor be his last?
According to Degroote, he is innocent. He says he is calm and thinks the election was fair. He says he has no reason to doubt that he is the real mayor. The minister looked at the case and said he could be mayor. But the investigation is still going on. No one knows what will happen. The police are keeping information secret. Degroote is still mayor. He is running Dentergem while they wait for the results of the investigation.
Degroote took the oath to be mayor for the seventh time. Then he talked to the governor. They didn’t talk about the investigation. They talked about normal mayor things, like the police and the fire department. Degroote mentioned that he feels good about being mayor again.
Someone asked Degroote if this would be his last term as mayor. He didn’t say yes or no. He said, “Never say never.” He will be over 70 years old by the end of this term. He said he might retire, but he isn’t sure yet. He said he would wait and see what happens before he decides if he wants to be mayor again.
