Elections 2024: ’Disproportionate’ number of proxy votes cast in Ninove
A total of 1,618 proxy votes were cast in Sunday's local elections in Ninove, local media reported on Thursday. An investigation has been launched into possible electoral fraud in the city, where the far-right won a historic victory.
Election records show that 7 per cent of all votes cast in the city of around 40,000 people were proxy votes. All proxy votes have been seized by the East Flanders public prosecutor's office as part of a fraud investigation.
On Sunday, the local party Forza Ninove, which is part of the far-right Vlaams Belang, won an absolute majority in the East Flemish city. The victory is historic for Vlaams Belang, as it is the first time the party has secured a seat of power in the country.
On election day, the public prosecutor's office announced that it had opened an investigation into possible electoral fraud in Ninove. It has not yet been confirmed which party is the target of the investigation, but it is believed to be centred on the illegal recruitment of proxies by Forza Ninove.
Difference of 106 votes
The number of proxy votes involved suggests that the scale of the fraud may have been large enough to have made a difference to the outcome of the election. Forza Ninove won 47.4 per cent of the local vote, enough for a narrow majority in the distribution of seats. A difference of 106 votes would have been enough to lose that majority, De Standaard reported.
In Belgium, people who are physically unable to vote can give someone else a proxy to vote on their behalf if they can prove that they are ill, have to work or are abroad. Forza Ninove had circulated a call for proxies in its election leaflet and on social media.
The prosecutor's investigation does not directly affect the validity of the election but could lead to criminal charges. Proxy solicitation carries a prison sentence of between eight days and one month and/or a fine.
'Disproportionate'
The outgoing mayor of Ninove, Tania De Jonge, reacted with shock to the number of proxy votes on the evening news on VTM and VRT on Thursday. "It is disproportionate," she said.
For the time being, De Jonge's party will not file a complaint with the electoral dispute committee. If the figures show that the use of proxies had an impact on the distribution of seats, she will "strongly consider" filing such a complaint, which could affect the validity of the elections.
"We are also waiting for the investigation by the public prosecutor's office because it also involves possible fraud and falsification of documents, which is even worse," she said.
#FlandersNewsService | A polling station in Ninove during the local elections in Belgium on 13 October 2024 © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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