Belgium National Elections 2024: Google Doodle Marks Crucial Voting Day
In recognition of Belgium’s upcoming National Elections 2024, Google released a Doodle on June 9th. Citizens will participate in democratic elections today to select the 150 members of the Chamber of Representatives, serving a five-year term. Furthermore, the same day will include European and regional elections.
The Google Doodle features a ballot box marked with the Belgian National flag, representing the country’s tricolour flag with black, yellow, and red vertical bands. Voting commences at 8:00 am and concludes at 2:00 pm or 4:00 pm in areas utilizing electronic voting.
In 2019, the last federal elections in Belgium occurred, resulting in an 18-month transition to a new prime minister leading a seven-party coalition government. In 2010, government formation took a record-breaking 541 days.
Belgian citizens aged 16 or above are eligible to cast their votes. Non-Belgian EU citizens residing in Belgium cannot vote, although Belgian citizens living overseas can register to do so. Electronic voting will be conducted in Brussels, German-speaking municipalities, and Flemish municipalities, while paper ballots will be used in non-German-speaking Walloon municipalities and some Flemish municipalities.
The country is divided along linguistic lines, with Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north and francophone Wallonia in the south. Governments are typically formed by coalitions of parties from both regions.
According to opinion polls, two Flemish nationalist parties are expected to garner the largest shares of votes in Flanders. The far-right Vlaams Belang is projected to win over 25% of the vote, followed by the right-wing nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) with around 20%. The outcome of these elections will shape Belgium’s political landscape for the coming years and influence the formation of the next government.
