In what was a first in Flanders, the new mayor of the West Flemish coastal municipality of Koksijde swore the oath required for him to become mayor on Oostduinkerke Beach. The former MEP Sander Loones (Flemish nationalist) was accompanied by two shrimp fishers and their horses. Since 2013, Horse-Drawn Shrimp Fishing in Oostduinkerke has been on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The new mayor of the seaside municipality of Koksijde Sander Loones (photo) chose an unusual spot to take his oath of office on Tuesday morning. Accompanied by two shrimp fishermen on horseback, the Flemish nationalist politician took his oath on the sandy beach at Oostduinkerke, a coastal village that is part of Koksijde. A table on which he was to sign documents required for him to become mayor and the official flags were also brought onto the beach in what was an almost surreal spectacle.
Normally, in Flanders a mayor swears their oath and signs the papers required for them to take office at the official residence of the Provincial Governor, in this case the governor of West Flanders. However on Tuesday morning the Governor of West Flanders Carl Decaluwé (Christian democrat) joined Sander Loones on the beach.
Governor Decaluwé told VRT News that “This is a first in the history of West Flanders. It was for practical reasons that Sander Loones asked to be able to take the oath on the beach. Today the Minister of the Interior, Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal) is coming here on a working visit. So we were both present in Koksijde anyway.
Mr Decaluwé went on to say that “The law only stipulates that the oath must be taken in the presence of the provincial governor. Whether it takes place in my official residence, on the beach or elsewhere it's perfectly in accordance with the law. However, this doesn’t mean that in future new mayors will be able to choose where they take the oath. We'll keep this as a one-off”.
Mr Loones told journalists that “We had set up a table on the beach so that we could sign the documents, and we had some flags. I know that the governor also loves the sea. He sails, as do I. I think it's wonderful that I was able to take the oath on the beach”.