General Questions and Informations about the Royal Family of Belgium

[Somebody]

Wow!
A) How are they all old enough to vote already?!
B) Still throws me seeing Royals voting in elections. Shows just how used we get to what our own royals in our own countries do. Of course, in Belgium voting is compulsory.

I just read that voting itself is not compulsory. It is compulsory to show up at the voting boot but once there, Belgian citizens are free to either abstain from voting, use a blank vote or an invalid vote.

I am also not used to royals voting and it somewhat defeats the purpose of having a hereditary system of a family who is supposed to be impartial. Personally, for me it would make sense for at least the heir to exercise a blank vote at each and every election to preserve her impartiality.

 

[Stefan]

I just read that voting itself is not compulsory. It is compulsory to show up at the voting boot but once there, Belgian citizens are free to either abstain from voting, use a blank vote or an invalid vote.

I am also not used to royals voting and it somewhat defeats the purpose of having a hereditary system of a family who is supposed to be impartial. Personally, for me it would make sense for at least the heir to exercise a blank vote at each and every election to preserve her impartiality.

So they can't vote via letter?

 

[Somebody]

So they can't vote via letter?

That also counts as 'showing up'. I don't know whether that option exists for those living in Belgium itself but it does exist for those living abroad.

 

[Stefan]

That also counts as 'showing up'. I don't know whether that option exists for those living in Belgium itself but it does exist for those living abroad.

Would be very odd if those living in Belgium would not be able to vote via Letter. At last here in Germany one can not where one wants but there if an election office at the place where one has his living place to which one is assigned. And if it not possible for whatever reason to show up there on the election Day on can choose to vote via Letter. That should be even more the case with an election duty, as i don't think one can go voting where one wants to do.

 

[Somebody]

Would be very odd if those living in Belgium would not be able to vote via Letter. At last here in Germany one can not where one wants but there if an election office at the place where one has his living place to which one is assigned. And if it not possible for whatever reason to show up there on the election Day on can choose to vote via Letter. That should be even more the case with an election duty, as i don't think one can go voting where one wants to do.

I dont know for Belgium but for the Netherlands voting by mail is one of the regular options for those living abroad. If you officially live in the Netherlands, you can only vote by mail if you are abroad on election day - which you have to request well in advance. The probably more comon alternative is to authorize someone else to vote in your place (this option also exist if you live abroad). If you are in the Netherlands but not close to your assigned voting location you can request a special pass that allows you to vote in any voting location in the Netherlands.

 

[maria-olivia]

The law asks to show up. You may ask help and send a letter if you are abroad.

 

[Marengo]

Queen Paola accidentaly revealed her voting intentions. She was photographed at the voting location with a piece of paper-a handkerchief. Written on it were the part ´MR´ (French-speaking liberal party) and the name of former prime minister Sophie Wilmès.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1800089674779861191

Surprising IMO as I thought they would always vote for the christian democrat party cdH. Not a surprise she chose to vote for the French-speaking candidate instead of the Dutch-speaking one (in Brussels you can chose between all of them, in the rest of Belgium you can not).

 

[Linda_26]

Queen Paola accidentaly revealed her voting intentions. She was photographed at the voting location with a piece of paper-a handkerchief. Written on it were the part ´MR´ (French-speaking liberal party) and the name of former prime minister Sophie Wilmès.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1800089674779861191

Surprising IMO as I thought they would always vote for the christian democrat party cdH. Not a surprise she chose to vote for the French-speaking candidate instead of the Dutch-speaking one (in Brussels you can chose between all of them, in the rest of Belgium you can not).

It clearly wasn't her intention to reveal anything, it's a pity that journalists couldn't be more respectful in this case, but I'm not surprised they published it anyway.

As for the vote itself, according to political analyst Carl Devos in Het Nieuwsblad, it isn't very surprising. Paola is certainly known to be religious, but "there's no longer a true Christian party in Wallonia (Les Engagés is only what is left of cdH), and Sophie Wilmès is on good terms with the Palace, very much pro-union and she's very popular in Wallonia" (yesterday's elections were a massive success for MR and for her personally- she got more than 540.000 votes)

 

[Prinsara]

Isn’t it slightly disconcerting that she had to write down her vote? Either to remember it or for some other reason?

 

[Somebody]

Isn’t it slightly disconcerting that she had to write down her vote? Either to remember it or for some other reason?

That was also my thought. Apparently she needed a reminder on whom to vote for and also where to find her (on top of the list MR).

There were multiple elections in Belgium yesterday, but still…

 

[Hannelore]

Voting on a computer, for three different elections is something many elderly people feel nervous about.