🏛️ Brussels-Capital Region — Governance
🔍 The Particracy Problem
Brussels is governed by elected officials who belong to political parties. In Belgium's particracy, party presidents set the political line — and most of them don't live in Brussels and draw their electorate from outside the region.
This page maps the real chain of power: from your local alderman to the party president who calls the shots.
👔 Regional Government — Gouvernement Dilliès
Coalition: MR + PS + Les Engagés (FR) + Groen + Anders + Vooruit + CD&V (NL)
Ministers
| Name | Party | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| Boris Dilliès |
MR | Scientific Research, Tourism, External Relations, Foreign Trade, Bicultural Matters, Development Cooperation, Prevention & Security, SIAMU |
| Elke Van den Brandt |
Groen | Mobility, Public Works, Road Safety, Animal Welfare |
| Ahmed Laaouej |
PS | Social Action & Solidarity, Local Authorities, Equal Opportunities, Educational Support |
| Dirk De Smedt |
Anders | Finance, Budget, Civil Service, Administrative Simplification, Digitalisation |
| Laurent Hublet |
Les Engagés | Economy, Digital Economy, Employment |
State Secretaries
| Name | Party | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| Audrey Henry | MR | Spatial Planning, Urban Development, Public Cleanliness, Energy |
| Karine Lalieux | PS | Housing, Taxi Sector, Sports Infrastructure |
| Ans Persoons | Vooruit | Environment, Climate, Urban Renewal, Heritage, Image of Brussels |
🔗 Who calls the shots?
🔍 Who really decides?
5 out of 7 governing party presidents (71%) don't live in Brussels.
Their main electorate is in Wallonia and Brussels / Flanders and Flanders. Brussels policy is shaped by party discipline — and the party leaders call the shots from outside the region.
🏛️ Regional Parliament
89 seats (72 FR + 17 NL)
President: Bertin Mampaka Mankamba MR
Seat Distribution
Government (55 seats)
| Party | Seats | Group | Chef de groupe |
|---|---|---|---|
| MR | 20 | FR | Loubna Azghoud |
| PS | 18 | FR | Ahmed Laaouej |
| Les Engagés | 8 | FR | Christophe De Beukelaer |
| Groen | 4 | NL | Stijn Bex |
| Anders | 2 | NL | Imane Belguenani |
| Vooruit | 2 | NL | Pascal Smet |
| CD&V | 1 | NL | Benjamin Dalle |
Opposition (34 seats)
| Party | Seats | Group | Chef de groupe / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PTB | 14 | FR | Françoise De Smedt |
| Ecolo | 7 | FR | John Pitseys |
| DéFI | 4 | FR | Jonathan de Patoul |
| TFA | 3 | NL | Fouad Ahidar |
| N-VA | 2 | NL | Gilles Verstraeten |
| VB | 1 | NL | Bob De Brabandere |
| PVDA | 1 | NL | Jan Busselen |
| Ind. FR | 1 | FR | Fabian Maingain (ex-DéFI, LIB·RES) |
| Ind. NL | 1 | NL | Sonja Hoylaerts (ex-VB, SV Brussels) |
All 89 Deputies
📊 All Party Presidents
Every party represented in the Brussels Parliament, and where their president lives:
| Party | President | Lives in | Region | Main electorate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MR | Georges-Louis Bouchez | Mons | 🟡 Wallonia | Wallonia + Brussels |
| PS | Paul Magnette | Charleroi | 🟡 Wallonia | Wallonia + Brussels |
| Les Engagés | Yvan Verougstraete | Brussels area | 🟢 Brussels | Wallonia + Brussels |
| Groen | Nadia Naji & Jeremie Vaneeckhout (2022-2024) |
Brussels / Waregem | 🔴 Brussels / Flanders | Flanders + Brussels (NL group) |
| Anders | Frédéric De Gucht | Brussels | 🟢 Brussels | Flanders + Brussels (NL group) |
| Vooruit | Conner Rousseau | Sint-Niklaas | 🔴 Flanders | Entirely Flanders |
| CD&V | Sammy Mahdi | Vilvoorde | 🔴 Flanders | Entirely Flanders |
| PTB | Raoul Hedebouw |
Liège area | 🟡 Wallonia | All regions (unitary party) |
| Ecolo | Samuel Cogolati & Marie Lecocq |
Liège / Brussels area | 🔴 Wallonia / Brussels | Wallonia + Brussels |
| DéFI | François De Smet | Brussels area | 🟢 Brussels | Brussels + Francophone periphery |
| TFA | Fouad Ahidar | Brussels | 🟢 Brussels | Brussels (NL group) |
| N-VA | Bart De Wever |
Antwerp | 🔴 Flanders | Entirely Flanders |
| VB | Tom Van Grieken | Schoten (near Antwerp) | 🔴 Flanders | Entirely Flanders |
| PVDA | Raoul Hedebouw |
Liège area | 🟡 Wallonia | All regions (unitary party, NL section) |
🏘️ The 19 Communes
Each commune has its own bourgmestre, college, and council. Click through to see governance details: