Elections 2024: Cordon sanitaire broken for the first time
The cordon sanitaire in Belgian politics, an agreement that saw parties refusing to enter coalitions with the far right, has been broken in Ranst, in Antwerp province. The local PIT list has reached an agreement with Vlaams Belang and Vrij Ranst following the local elections of 13 October.
PIT gained nine seats out of 25 on the municipal council, outperforming current mayor Johan De Ryck’s N-VA. Vlaams Belang added one seat for a total of three, as did the liberal Vrij Ranst. The list leader of PIT is Bart Goris, who will become mayor.
This is the first time the cordon sanitaire against Vlaams Belang has been broken. In Ninove, Guy D’haeseleer's Forza Ninove – part of Vlaams Belang – gained an absolute majority and will rule without the need for a coalition.
No coalitions
In 1989, the cordon sanitaire against Vlaams Blok, the precursor of Vlaams Belang, was created by the other Flemish parties of the time. Vlaams Blok then secured 17.7 per cent of the votes in the municipal elections in Antwerp but the cordon meant the other parties would not negotiate or enter into coalitions or agreements with the party.
Following the agreement in Ranst, Vlaams Belang party leader Tom Van Grieken called it “a fantastic day for democracy”. “Here stands a very happy Vlaams Belang president,” he said. “19 October is a great day for Vlaams Belang and a fantastic day for democracy.”
"Like everyone else, I learned from the press that Vrij Ranst was going to work with Vlaams Belang"
Van Grieken, who was also elected party leader for the next 10 years on Saturday, hopes this will encourage parties in other municipalities to break the cordon sanitaire and join forces with Vlaams Belang.
“After Guy D’haeseleer’s overwhelming victory in Ninove, the next domino in the row has now fallen,” he said. “The cordon sanitaire is officially behind us. A new time is dawning, a time when politics does listen to the people.”
Liberals Open VLD and Christian democrats CD&V have decided to exclude the members of their respective parties who allied themselves with the far right in Ranst.
'Democratic principles'
The agreement between local list Vrij Ranst and Vlaams Belang was reached without consulting Open VLD, the party said.
The PIT list includes three elected CD&V members. “We will never accept CD&V members joining forces with Vlaams Belang. Our democratic principles and values are more important than a few functions,” the party said.
The N-VA said on Saturday that no member of its party was on the local lists allied with Vlaams Belang.
#FlandersNewsService | Christel Engelen of Vlaams Belang, Bart Gooris of PIT and Tim Peeters of Vrij Ranst during a press conference in Ranst, 20 October 2024 © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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