The Brussels authorities are keen to encourage more non-Belgians to exercise their right to vote in municipal elections, a right most have not used since it was granted to them in 2006.
This was announced in a press release published by the Brussels Minister in charge of Local Authorities Bernard Clerfayt of the social-liberal francophone party DéFI on Monday.
Because of the high number of non-Belgians in Brussels, it is crucial for democracy that they can vote, says the press release.
However, while 36.9% of the capital’s 1.2 million inhabitants are non-Belgian, only 15% of them (both EU and non-EU nationals) voted in the last municipal elections in 2018.
With these figures in mind, Clerfayt launched a call for projects aimed at associations to develop initiatives to encourage people to vote in the next municipal elections on 13 October 2024.
“Including all the inhabitants of Brussels, including non-Belgians, in the electoral process is of democratic importance. As they play an active role in Brussels society, it is only natural that they should also be able to elect their local representatives,” says Clerfayt.
The initiatives can take a variety of forms, from information events and group discussions to brochures, and will be funded with a total budget of €150,000.
“I am convinced that some of these Brussels residents don’t see the importance of voting, don’t know enough about the electoral system or simply don’t know that they have the right to vote,” Clerfayt adds.
But the prospect of financial sanctions if they register but do not end up voting for the next elections, as is the case for Belgians, is a concern for non-Belgians, according to a 2018 study by Louise Nikolic, a PhD candidate in political and social sciences at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Le Soir reported in 2018.
Belgium has made voting compulsory for its citizens, with a fine of between €25 and €125.
On 9 June 2024, young people aged 16 and over who are nationals of an EU member state will be able to vote for the first time for their representatives in the European Parliament.
Belgium is the fourth EU country to have granted this right, after Malta, Germany and Austria.
After the EU, Federal and regional elections in June 2024, Belgium will hold municipal elections in October of the same year.
(Anne-Sophie Gayet | Euractiv.com)
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