Linkebeek


Linkebeek is a Belgian municipality in Flanders, part of the province of Flemish Brabant, and in the administrative district of Halle-Vilvoorde. The municipality only comprises the town of Linkebeek proper. As of 1 January 2006, Linkebeek has a total population of 4,759. The total area is 4.15 km² which gives a population density of 1,147 inhabitants per km².

Language and politics

The official language is Dutch with French facilities. In 1954, these special linguistic rights or "facilities" were given to Francophones, who then constituted nearly 40% of the population according to the 1947 census. Nowadays, Francophones make up the majority of the population.
Francophones can request official documents from the local administration in French, but the official language remains Dutch. There are also primary and nursery schools teaching in French.
Since the 2012 municipal elections, the municipal council consists of 13 French-speaking councillors, led by Damien Thiéry, and two Dutch-speaking councillors.
Damien Thiéry was the acting mayor from 2007 to 2015. He was never appointed mayor by the Flemish government for having violated language law, as confirmed by multiple Council of State rulings. The French-speaking majority refused to propose anyone else as mayor. In October 2015 the Flemish minister Liesbeth Homans appointed Eric De Bruycker as mayor. This caused controversy, and the French-speaking majority in the municipal council demanded his resignation. When De Bruycker refused, the 13 French-speaking councillors resigned to provoke a snap election. An election was then scheduled for 13 December to elect 13 councillors; the mayor and the other Flemish councillor both remain in office. A few days later, mayor De Bruycker submitted his resignation. If accepted by Flemish minister Liesbeth Homans, he will remain as acting mayor. Prolink, the Flemish party of De Bruycker, decided not to participate in the election and called on voters to vote blank.
The 13 December 2015 snap election resulted in the status quo: the French-speaking list won all 13 seats. However, about 15% did not vote and about 13% voted blank.

Twin towns