Elections 2024: Political heavyweights fall short in mayoral bids

Despite strong overall performances by their parties, prominent politicians like Zuhal Demir, Conner Rousseau and Georges-Louis Bouchez failed in their bids to become mayors in the local elections. Here is a look at where they fell short. 

Demir will have to put aside her ambitions in Genk. Mayor Wim Dries and his party, CD&V, won 43.2 per cent of the vote, a substantial gain from the last election, securing the party’s dominance in the city. Demir, who had announced that she would give up her role as Flemish Education minister if she became mayor, garnered 30.1 per cent with N-VA. It was a strong result, but not enough to topple Dries and the Christian democrats.

In Sint-Niklaas, N-VA held off Vooruit, preventing the socialists from becoming the largest party. Despite significant gains, with Vooruit securing 25.6 per cent of the vote, mayor Lieven Dehandschutter and his right-wing party remain in control. The outcome is a setback for Vooruit leader Conner Rousseau, who had hoped to claim the mayoralty.

Meanwhile, in Mons, MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez could not unseat his socialist rival, Nicolas Martin. Martin’s party won 22 seats, just one short of an outright majority, ensuring Mons remains a socialist stronghold. This result came despite the “liberal wave” seen in other Walloon cities like Charleroi, Liège and Tournai, where MR made gains.

In Zottegem, N-VA could not sustain the momentum from their 2018 success. Kurt De Loor of Vooruit surpassed Matthias Diependaele and mayor Evelien De Both, adding four seats to become the largest party. The result is a blow to Diependaele, whose recent appointment as Flemish minister president had been expected to boost his party’s campaign.

 

​#FlandersNewsService | Flemish Education minister Zuhal Demir © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM

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