Francophones Shape Brussels Election: Team Fouad Ahidar and Vlaams Belang Make Surprising Gains
February 19, 2025
A study by political scientists Emilie van Haute and Romain Biesemans found that 62.9% of voters for Team Fouad Ahidar identified as francophone, despite the party's affiliation with the Dutch-speaking linguistic group.
The far-right Vlaams Belang party attracted a substantial 46.7% of the francophone votes, surpassing the N-VA at 42.9% and Groen at 39.6%.
Additionally, the Open VLD party received 62.5% of its votes from francophones, while the Dutch-speaking PTB counterpart, PVDA, garnered 55.6% from this demographic.
The recent regional and federal elections held in June 2024 revealed notable voting patterns among francophones in Brussels.
During this election cycle, Team Fouad Ahidar made significant electoral gains across several municipalities in Brussels.
In contrast, the CD&V party secured 27.3% of the francophone vote, with Vooruit trailing at only 12.1%.
The political scientists from ULB noted a steady increase in votes cast within the Dutch-speaking linguistic group in Brussels, rising from 53,379 ballots in 2014 to 80,379 in 2024, despite a decline in tax declarations filed in Dutch during the same period.
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