As the June 2024 elections approach, Flemish parties are gearing up for a challenging campaign. The N-VA, Open VLD, and Groen parties will unveil their strategies for the upcoming election

during congresses this weekend, while CD&V is organizing a family day event. However, a recent poll by De Standaard and VRT shows that traditional parties are losing popularity to extremist parties at both ends of the political spectrum.

The far-right Vlaams Belang is once again the largest party in Flanders, with 24.6% of the vote, while the far-left PVDA is the fourth largest with 9.5%. The traditional parties continue to lose ground, with the CD&V and Open VLD trailing behind extremist parties. The N-VA, the main right-wing party, has kept their losses to a minimum. The survey also highlights that Flemish voters are losing faith in politics in general, with 60% preferring a technocratic government.

The upcoming election is crucial, with the future of the country at stake, according to N-VA chairman Bart De Wever. His party aims for Flanders and Wallonia to decide together which powers they want to exercise together, with everything else being decided by the regions themselves. However, the challenge is to get other parties on board, with CD&V being the only supportive party. Even Vlaams Belang, which aims for an independent Flanders, only supports a complete Flemish secession. The upcoming election will determine if there is still a place for traditional parties in Belgium. Photo by Miel Pieters, Wikimedia commons.