Ninove (Brussels Morning Newspaper): Forza Ninove, led by Guy D’haeseleer, won the Ninove municipal elections with 47.4% of the votes, securing 18 out of 35 seats. However, concerns over illegal proxy voting have prompted an investigation by the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office, which has seized all proxy votes.
Forza Ninove, a far-right party, won the recent municipal elections in Ninove with 47.4 percent of the votes, allowing them to govern alone. However, the election results have raised concerns due to a high number of proxy votes, leading to suspicions of illegal activities. In Belgium, while proxy voting is allowed, pressuring voters is not. This has prompted an official investigation into the matter.
Is Forza Ninove’s election win valid?
The East Flanders public prosecutor’s office is investigating if voters were illegally pressured, especially about proxy votes. They won’t share more details over the weekend to keep the investigation safe. The results of this inquiry could affect how valid Forza Ninove’s election win is and the overall fairness of the elections in Ninove.
“Next week, we will find out if we will go to the Council for Electoral Disputes,” says Tania De Jonge. She noted that this is separate from the ongoing legal investigation, which she doesn’t know about. Since the elections, local politicians in different areas have been thinking about filing complaints, but the only official complaint in Flanders is from Hasselt. In Ninove, no complaints have been filed by any party, including Positief Ninove and Forza Ninove.
Objections must be filed within 40 days of the election report. De Jonge said she would act only if it could change the results. She is waiting for her lawyer to see if there was a mistake that could affect a seat. The final decision will come this week. De Jonge received 4,500 votes, making her the second most popular politician in Ninove after Guy D’haeseleer. She wants to support her voters and is ready to be in opposition to make sure projects get done.
