The Council of State has ruled that a rerun of the municipal election in the Brussels municipality of Sint-Joost-ten-Node will take place on Sunday 9 February. A rerun of the municipal vote is necessary as the result of the election held on 13 October was declared null and void due to irregularities with proxy votes.
Council of State decides that rerun of municipal election in Sint-Joost-ten-Node will take place on 9 February
Published:
The outgoing Mayor of Sint-Joost-ten-Node Emir Kir (independent) had asked for the election to be held on Sunday 5 January. However, the Council of State said that the urgency to hold the election at the earliest possible date had not been proved and that as such the date put forward by the Brussels Regional Government (in Belgium the regions are responsible for organising local election), 9 February will be the date on which the municipal election in Sint-Joost-ten-Node will take place.
Mr Kir had argued that the election should be held on 5 January as this would have been within 50 days since the result of the original election had been declared null and void. A limit of 50 days is stated in the Municipal Electoral Law Book.
Previously the outgoing Brussels regional responsible for local government Bernard Clerfayt (Francophone federalist) rejected the idea of organising the election on 5 January as the municipal authorities in Sint-Joost-ten-Node had carried out the necessary preparations in time. Mr Clerfayt said that in order to hold an election on 5 January, the lists of candidates would have needed to have been handed in by 3 December.