The average eligible candidate on the list is male, 46 years old and lives in the city (Brussels)

The eligible candidates on the lists of Flemish political parties for the federal elections are on average 46 years old. The people of Antwerp are most strongly represented. This is evident from a new study by KU Leuven.

There are currently 6,550 candidates waiting in the wings for federal, regional and European elections on June 9. Together they fill 330 lists in eleven constituencies. Researchers Bart Maddens and Toine Paulissen (KU Leuven) held the Flemish House lists against a light box, looking for striking trends. “The average candidate has never been so old,” is the main conclusion.

Trend break

The average age of a candidate is now 47 years old, compared to 40.4 years in 1987. When looking at the ‘electable candidates’, the candidates who have a good chance of being elected, a trend break is visible. There has been a rejuvenation in this group since the 1990s, but the current candidates are again older on average than those in 2019 (46.5 years compared to approximately 43.8 years).

Another striking conclusion is that the percentage of women among eligible candidates will decrease in 2024. The share of women nevertheless rose steadily from 12.6 percent in 1987 to 47.6 percent in the previous elections, but is now falling again to 45.2 percent. Groen, Vlaams Belang and Open VLD in particular have fewer women in eligible positions, while CD&V has seen a significant increase in the share of women in eligible positions.

Antwerp above

Finally, the lists are predominantly urban. The share of eligible candidates from central cities increases to 36.8 percent. Candidates from rural municipalities still accounted for 10 percent until 2010, but subsequently dropped to only 4.6 percent today. “Compared to the distribution of the Flemish population, rural municipalities are therefore significantly underrepresented in the eligible places,” say Maddens and Paulissen.

The city of Antwerp is today most strongly represented on the lists with 71 candidates (also ineligible). This is followed by Ghent with 41 people and Kortrijk with 17. Bruges, Leuven, Mechelen and Ostend all have 15 candidates.