Proxy voting fraud investigations in nine Flemish municipalities
Belgian authorities are conducting criminal investigations into alleged proxy vote fraud in nine municipalities across Flanders following the 2024 local elections, Flemish Interior minister Hilde Crevits told parliament on Tuesday.
The inquiries, based on seized proxy voting documents and recommendations from public prosecutors, are focusing on Alken, Dentergem, Gingelom, Koekelare, Lichtervelde, Meise, Ninove, Oudenburg and Veurne.
In some cases, the appointed mayor is under investigation, which could affect their official confirmation. Crevits said she would carefully assess each case but would not delay decisions unnecessarily.
She emphasised that soliciting proxy votes was a criminal offence and that legal consequences would depend on the outcome of ongoing investigations. “If fraud is proven, there will be consequences, but it’s too early to assess the full extent of the issue,” the minister said.
Where no wrongdoing is found, mayoral appointments will proceed as normal.
The issue of possible misuse of proxy votes - where one person votes on behalf of another - first gained attention after reports of irregularities in Ninove, where large numbers of proxy votes were seized. There were concerns that fraudulent medical certificates may have been used to justify them.
A separate case in Veurne involves former mayor Peter Roose, who has denied any wrongdoing.
#FlandersNewsService | A voting booth at a polling station in Ostend during Belgium’s local elections © BELGA PHOTO KURT DESPLENTER