For the first time in over 30 years, no “cordon sanitaire”: In Ranst, a coalition with the right-wing extremist Vlaams Belang

October 20, 2024, Belgium, Ranst: Christel Engelen (l, Vlaams Belang), Bart Goris (M, PIT) and Tim Peeters (r, Vrij Ranst) at a press conference for the new majority. Engelen becomes the first right-wing extremist alderman in Belgium. Photo: Belga

Until now, Ranst was best known as the hometown of cycling legend Herman Van Springel, who lost the yellow jersey on the last day of the 1968 Tour de France and came second. Otherwise, the city of 20,000 inhabitants in the province of Antwerp was rarely mentioned. Until now.

After the local council election on Sunday, October 13th, the so-called “cordon sanitaire” was torn for the first time. The “Cordon sanitaire”, known in the Federal Republic as the “firewall”, was introduced in Belgium over 30 years ago by the established parties to prevent the extreme right from entering a coalition, no matter what level of power it is at .

In Ranst, the “Cordon sanitaire” has now become obsolete after the local PIT list of former liberal mayor Lode Hofmans decided to seal an agreement with the far-right party Vlaams Belang and the List Vrij Ranst.

View of the city of Ranst in the province of Antwerp. Photo: Shutterstock

For the first time in its history, the nationalist and xenophobic party comes to power by allying with other parties.

On October 13th, PIT (which includes three CD&V MPs, among others) became the strongest force in the Ranst local council with 25 seats. This put her ahead of incumbent mayor Johan De Ryck’s N-VA (10 seats). The Greens (Groen), who governed the city with the N-VA in recent years, fell back to 3 seats. The Vlaams Belang and the liberal list Vrij Ranst, which includes members of the Open VLD, have just as many mandates. The CD&V and Open VLD have now expelled their members from PIT and Vrij Ranst from their party for violating the “Cordon sanitaire”.

Bart Goris, who topped the PIT list, is expected to wear the mayoral sash for the next six years with the help of Vlaams Belang votes. This will be the first time that the extreme right will be involved in a coalition. 58-year-old Christel Engelen from Vlaams Belang will be the first right-wing extremist alderman in Belgium.

The “Cordon sanitaire” is a Belgian specialty. In Flanders it is exclusively political, while on the French-speaking side it is both political and media. It goes back to the beginning of the 1990s.

In the parliamentary elections of November 24, 1991, which went down in Belgian history as “Black Sunday”, the Vlaams Blok, which was renamed Vlaams Belang after a court conviction for racism, achieved a major electoral victory with 12 seats in the Chamber of Deputies . In response, Flanders’ five established parties committed to excluding the far right from all political coalitions.

The designated mayor of Ranst, Bart Goris from the PIT list, blamed the N-VA for breaking the “cordon sanitaire” for the first time because the party of the federal government builder Bart De Wever refused to work with PIT and Vrij Ranst to form a coalition. “I tried to contact members of the N-VA several times, up to six times, but they did not respond,” Goris said. The N-VA disputes this portrayal of the future community leader of Ranst.

Goris also gave the reason that PIT and Vrij Ranst were local lists, while Vlaams Belang was a national party. “There are points in the Vlaams Belang program that we do not agree with, but in Ranst these points are not relevant,” argued Goris. “I think it is important to have a stable majority here in Ranst instead of sticking to principles,” he justified himself to the RTBF. At the national level it would be significantly “more difficult” to work with Vlaams Belang.

Meanwhile, there is great satisfaction among the right-wing extremists. “Before you stands a very happy chairman of the Vlaams Belang. October 19th is a great day for the Vlaams Belang and a fantastic day for democracy: there are no more A and B voters,” cheered the leader of the far-right Flemish party, Tom Van Grieken, in response to the break in the vote “Cordon sanitaire” in Ranst.

The leader of the Vlaams Belang hopes that this will give “courage” to other parties in other municipalities to do the same and “also work with the Vlaams Belang”. Filip Dewinter, a historic figure in the party, said he even hoped Ranst would trigger “a chain reaction.” (cre)