Ganshoren: Mayor Van Laethem will host the session

The LB/Pro Ganshoren – the group of Les Engagés, CD&V and independents – rose by 3.6 percent and received 31.9 percent of the votes. So 11 of the 29 seats are on the list.

PS+Citoyens got 23.6 percent or 7 seats. Défi dropped 3 percent and still has 1 seat.

The LB / ProGanshoren had an initial agreement with PS + Citoyens and Défi, but with the bad result of Defi, the majority will only be ProGanshoren and PS + Citoyens. Together they have 18 seats.

As poll champion, with 1,616 favorable votes, Van Laethem holds the session.

Open MR against

Open MR, the list of Stéphane Obeid’s opponents, which this time also included Open VLD, advanced by almost five percent, but ended in opposition. The party got 23 percent or 7 seats.

Ecolo-Groen had to give up a lot of land. Party leader Marie Fontaine achieved 11.1 percent, a loss of 5.3 percent. The Greens go from four to three sets.

N-VA is also declining and losing its only seat. Therefore the leader of the list Karl Vanlouwe will not return to the city council.

Flemish vessels

Philippe Beghin (ProGanshoren) is again a Flemish elder. He received 410 favorable votes, the highest score of the Dutch-speaking candidates. Kristine Bormans (ProGanshoren), Erik Van den Berghe (PS + Citoyens), Arne Smeets and Elke Van den Brandt (Green) and Massimo Scotti and David Steegen (Open MR) were also elected. Erik Van den Berghe will be the chairman of the town council.

So there are seven Dutch speakers in total in the new town council. “A fantastic result,” says Beghin. “Seven out of 29 seats, that’s a quarter, and we have 10.2 percent of Dutch speakers in Ganshoren.”

In addition to Philippe Beghin, Chantal De Saeger, Aldo Alu, Quentin Paelinck (LB) and Karima Souiss and Lara Thommes (PS + Citoyens) will be advisers. Khadija El Mahyaoui (PS + Citoyens) will become the chair of OCMW.

For Open MR, who hoped to force something despite the preliminary agreement between ProGanshoren, PS + Citoyens and Défi, the disappointment is great. “We are not happy. We get more seats, but it’s not our turn,” says David Steegen. “The voter has spoken and chosen a left-wing policy that will perpetuate poverty in this town.”

Ecolo-Groen is also waiting for a new treatment against it. “We ran a good campaign,” said Arne Smeets. “But things were not going well for the Greens in these elections. In that context, our product in Ganshoren is very respectable.” His party plans to confront him in a sharp but constructive way. “Ganshoren needs to get his heart beating again and more attention needs to be paid to the youth.”