Belgian Prime Minister De Croo to return to local politics after election defeat

By Selen Valente Rasquinho

BRUSSELS (AA) — Belgium's sitting prime minister announced on Wednesday that he would be running for mayor in his hometown of Brakel, after his party was dealt a significant defeat in general elections on June 9.

Alexander De Croo, a member of the Flemish liberal Open VLD party, will seek to become the mayor of the small town with a population of 15,000, located an hour west of the capital Brussels.

De Croo's candidacy was revealed by his 86-year-old father, Herman De Croo, who is also affiliated with the Open VLD party.

Open VLD suffered a substantial defeat in the June 9 elections, finishing in ninth place in the federal parliament after garnering only 5.4% of votes.

In the Flemish parliament, the party secured 8.3% of the vote, and in the Brussels-Capital Region, it got 10.6%.

With local elections scheduled for Oct. 13, De Croo aims to reconnect with his political roots and serve his hometown community in a different capacity after his national-level political setback.