Poll confirms deep crisis for Flemish liberals
A new poll confirms the collapse of support for Flemish liberal party Open VLD, reinforcing its disastrous 2024 election result and putting party leader Eva De Bleeker under intensifying pressure.
The annual De Stemming survey shows the party perilously close to the 5 per cent electoral threshold, with just 5.3 per cent support, dipping as low as 4.1 per cent within the margin of error. This follows the party’s 8.7 per cent result in the 2024 federal elections, making it the smallest in Flanders.
The poll exposes the full extent of Open VLD’s crisis: no clear themes, no political ownership and no popular faces. Former prime minister Alexander De Croo has plummeted in popularity and fell from second to 20th place. Meanwhile, the most popular liberal in Flanders is not even from the party: Georges-Louis Bouchez, leader of the francophone liberals MR.
Internally, the party remains divided. It struggles to reconcile economically right-wing yet culturally diverse voters. Lacking ideological clarity, Open VLD has lost its claim to core issues like the economy, which are now dominated by rival N-VA. Nearly half its voters support the current government, led by N-VA's Bart De Wever, which is undermining any meaningful opposition stance.
De Bleeker, in office since August, has so far failed to restore visibility or unity. Her planned renewal process faces scepticism, and criticism is mounting over her inability to rally the party or set a clear course. Senior figures within the party are privately expressing doubts about her leadership and strategy.
De Bleeker, however, remains defiant in the face of rising unrest. “I will not be thrown off balance by a poll,” she told newspaper De Standaard last week. In the TV show Villa Politica, she added: “Polls are important, but the elections are still far off”, and insisted, “I do feel supported and I will continue.”
#FlandersNewsService | Open VLD leader Eva De Bleeker © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT
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