Arrests made over suspected electoral fraud in Ninove

An eighth person has been arrested as part of an investigation into electoral fraud in Ninove, according to the East Flanders public prosecutor's office.

“The public prosecutor's office will decide later what will happen to these people, but we cannot give any more information at this stage,” a spokesperson said.

The election fraud is thought to involve suspicious proxies and medical certificates, and the investigation targets the far-right party Forza Ninove, which holds a majority on the municipal council.

The election results remain legally valid during the investigation, but criminal proceedings could lead to the removal of individual mandates. Among those arrested so far is a councillor.

The investigation was launched on 13 October 2024 following a report by a supervising justice of the peace.

In total, one in 14 votes cast in Ninove was by proxy, a particularly high proportion. All proxies issued for the election have since been seized and the arrests are based on information obtained from previous interviews with people who gave or used the proxies.

The Vlaams Belang mayor of Ninove, Guy D'haeseleer, is not among the arrests - but the arrests are said to concern his immediate circle. D'haeseleer denies any use of copied medical certificates to establish proxy votes.

Forza Ninove won an absolute majority in the last municipal elections, taking 18 of the 33 seats on the Ninove municipal council and making Guy D'haeseleer the country's first Vlaams Belang mayor.

Flemish home affairs minister Hilde Crevits (CD&V) emphasised that the ongoing judicial investigation is being closely monitored and has not ruled out launching a disciplinary investigation if a local representative is referred to the criminal courts in the case.

“We’re looking into the possibility of bringing a civil action,” Crevits said.

“Legal proceedings are much longer than administrative proceedings, which undermines the stability of local government. Let's hope that the situation will be clarified quickly.”

The election results are final, as no complaints were lodged within the time limit, but in the event of a conviction, a member of the municipal council may be stripped of their rights, which effectively cancels their mandate.

Filip Van Acker of the Electoral Disputes Council confirmed that municipal election results remain final despite the judicial investigation.

“Only if a person is definitively convicted of a criminal offence resulting in the deprivation of their rights can a new appeal be lodged,” Van Acker added.

Photo: Nicolas Maeterlinck/Belga