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Last weekend, the 2024 Belgian election marathon which started with European, Federal and Regional elections in June came to a close with the local elections at municipal and provincial levels. This was not only a test for the big parties to check if the election momentum from June was confirmed, but also if the parties that have dominated the political scene in the last months, forming regional governments in Flanders and Wallonia, as well as negotiating the formation of a federal government, would be finally, rewarded for their efforts.

But because this is Belgium, where politics is rarely if ever straightforward, complexity abounds. Local elections are not just influenced by local concerns but also local lists, which can be unrelated to national parties, sometimes consisting of electoral alliances of several opposing national parties. And don’t forget that in local elections, the proximity of voters to candidates they know personally can play an outsized role in the end results.

Whilst behind the scenes the negotiations for a new federal government are discreetly gathering speed again, the media will be dominated over the next few weeks by announcements of new coalitions being formed, with  media score card reporting reporting on who won and who lost and what impact this could have on broader political dynamics.

Companies with a footprint in Belgium that create jobs in the country recognise well the importance of good local relations. It is at the local level that environmental and building permits are awarded, often determining the licence to operate for production plants, locations for investment and industrial zones.  Local politicians oversee local security, police, education, transport and infrastructure. All important issues for any business invested, or thinking of investing in Belgium.

But this is just what you see on the surface. At SoWhatCommunications we know first hand that the influence of local politicians runs much deeper.  The vast majority of Belgium’s top politicians, also have a local mandate, be it mayor, alder(wo)man or city councillor.  Bart De Wever, entrusted with leading the federal government negotiations is not only the party leader of the Flemish Federalists of N-VA, he is also the mayor of Antwerp, overseeing one of the most important harbours in the world and one of the biggest motors for Belgian prosperity as the economic capital of Belgium.

Local politicians are also very powerful in setting the agenda within their parties, they have privileged access to national politicians, cabinets and ministers themselves.  And they are typically more accessible than their federal or regional counterparts and often have political influence beyond their local mandate. They can also advocate for favourable policies through their political affiliation.  And don’t underestimate how sensitive federal and regional politicians, are to what they are told by their regional constituents

As Bart De Wever himself stated this weekend in one of the leading Flemish newspapers: “Close ties to every economical sector active in Antwerp? I plead guilty as hell. The petrochemical sector, retail, the diamond and creative industry sector: they all come to me.  I listen to all sectors and if I can tempt them into investing here, I will do so.  Every CEO of every big employer in Antwerp has my cell phone number and if they call, I pick up the phone.  And if they tell me they have a problem, I try to fix it”

Investing in building contacts with your local politicians is therefor an integral part of a smart public affairs strategy and at SoWhatCommunications we assist our partners in doing exactly that.

For those who have Bart De Wever’s cell phone number: hold on to it – Antwerp is still his, by a very big margin, so you will either need it to speak with the mayor of Antwerp or the Prime Minister of Belgium.  N-VA also remains the biggest party in Flanders at local level – together with the Christian Democrats of CD&V who have confirmed as the local party par excellence.  Also the third partner in the new Flemish Government the socialists of Vooruit scored well overall and made significant inroads in many places.  The far right Vlaams Belang captured the smaller city of Ninove, but could not get close overall to their score in June.  The communists of PVDA progress but do not break trough.  The Liberals of Open VLD held on to some cities, but overall score poorly and also for the Greens of Groen, it was not the best of nights.

In Brussels and Wallonia, the winners of the federal elections MR (Liberals) and Les Engagés (Centrists) confirm and consolidate but the Socialists of the PS hold strong in several big cities.  PVDA-PTB progress and Ecolo and Défi confirmed their poor performance of June.

Bart De Wever comes reinforced and validated at the federal negotiating table as do all the other potential coalition partners.  Their mandate from the voter has been confirmed and this should result in forming a government in time for submitting a budget to Europe before the end of the year.

In Brussels, negotiations were stuck on the Flemish side, it is not clear if this will be unblocked by the current result.  The resistance of a big part of the population to the Good Move mobility plans of the previous government has been confirmed, this might settle that discussion, but that is difficult to predict.

If politics was a relay race, Belgian voters have now passed the baton onto the political party negotiators and coalition builders, which in Belgium is an Olympic sport in its own right. .  But don’t expect this to be a long drawn out process, in local politics cementing the win quickly is normally the name of the game, so expect a flurry of announcements over the coming weeks and pictures of smiling politicians.

#Elections #Grassroots #Advocacy

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