Unprecedented location north of Brussels, in the Flemish Brabant town of Grimbergen. A former parliamentarian from Vlaams Belang, the current alderman Bart Laeremans, is in the process of becoming mayor of the entity of 38,000 inhabitants.
A motion of no confidence was prepared by an alternative majority. The Vernieuwing list of Bart Laeremans (8 seats out of 33) and the NVA (6 seats) ejected the Open-VLD (6 seats) and the mayor Chris Selleslagh, and now received the support of the CD&V (6 seats). The three parties of the new coalition evoke a “lack of collegiality, loyalty and transparency” in the head of the Open-VLD. “As a democratic party, the Open Vld cannot help but disagree with this decision”, said the local liberal.
First elected from Grimbergen in terms of preference votes, Bart Laeremans is proposed as mayor. Born in Ghent, Laeremans was a federal deputy for the Vlaams Blok and then Vlaams Belang between 1995 and 2007, and a senator between 2010 and 2014. In 2015, he left the far-right party and declared himself an independent on the Grimberge council.
On Twitter, the elected presents himself as a member of the Flemish movement in favor of an “independent Flanders”. If Laeremans has left the party, the bridge does not seem to be entirely cut between the Grimbergeois and the far-right party, as evidenced by the multiple applause from members of Vlaams Belang on social networks, including the current party president.
The continuation of the “Jumbo file”
It’s the “Jumbo file” which will have caused the implosion of the majority. Several months ago, the college of aldermen marked its ambition to renovate the historic center of the entity, with the program of centralizing municipal services in a new complex, an underground car park, and the creation of a supermarket (Jumbo according to the visuals of the municipality, even if no choice had been made on this subject)…
A file that has sparked a real sling of residents: a petition of more than 2,500 signatures, “Geen Jumbo” signs hung on the facades…
The new coalition is now indicating that it wants to stop the file. The motion of no confidence will be officially presented on June 2. Remember that the new code of local democracy in Flanders provides for the same rules as in Wallonia. Namely, the automatic appointment as mayor of the elected official with the most votes preferably within the largest party of the majority.
The question of the sanitary cordon in Grimbergen had, already in 2018, propelled Grimbergen onto the national scene. The Open-VLD president at the time, Gwendolyn Rutten, had thwarted the initial coalition plans by demanding the exclusion of any member still having a link with Vlaams Belang from Laeremans’ Vernieuwing list. A veto that led to the resignation of a member of Vlaams Belang. Following this departure, the liberal Chris Selleslagh was able to gird the mayoral sash, and Bart Laeremans went up to college as an alderman.
