De strijd om de (heraangelegde) Dorpsstraat

Abstract

Transformations in local politics?

The 2006 local elections in Begium came after several reforms in the design of the local goverment structure in Belgium and in modifications of local election rules. This article resumes firstly the consequences of those reforms for the different regions in the country. Secondly, authors deal with the question about ‘nationalisation’ of local politics. The third issue is related with the question about the origins of winning or loosing elections and points out the relevance of incumbency effects, personal (social and political) characteristics of candidates and the nature of campaigning and the particularity associated with the local elections in Antwerp.