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This article has been translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The news agency is not responsible for the content of the translated article. The original was published by Belga.

16 percent of EU citizens want to vote in local elections in Belgium

by AI | 21.Aug 2024 | Europe in brief AI

A little more than 16 percent of EU nationals living in Belgium have registered to participate in the local elections on October 13. This is evident from the final figures published by the FPS Home Affairs.

Only a limited number of EU citizens exercise their right to vote in local elections in Belgium (Photo: Jan Woitas/dpa)

Only four months after the European, federal, and regional elections, the Belgians will go to the polls again this fall to elect their municipal councils and provincial councils. Foreign residents have been allowed to participate in these local elections since 2006. However, they must meet certain conditions and register online or with their local government. They had until the end of July to complete the procedure.

On August 1, 16.7 percent of nationals from another EU member state had registered to vote, or 153,037 people out of a total of 830,914 potential voters. In addition, 27,780 nationals from countries outside the European Union also registered, which amounts to 11.91 percent of those potential voters.

In Flanders, the turnout of foreigners on October 13 seems to be lower than in other parts of the country. Only 10.4 percent of potential EU voters registered, and 7.67 percent of residents from other countries.

In Wallonia, on the other hand, nearly one in four residents from other EU member states (24.6 percent) and 18.62 percent of residents from other countries have registered. In the Brussels region, 17.09 percent of EU nationals and 13.25 percent of other foreigners have registered, and in the nine German-speaking municipalities, respectively 15.53 and 2.62 percent.