Editing Charleroi (section)

==Politics==
[[File:Charleroi - hôtel de ville vu de la place Charles II - 2014-08-07.jpg|thumb|Charleroi's Town Hall]]

Before the merger of municipalities, from [[Belgian Revolution|Belgian independence]] in 1830 until 1 January 1977 (with the exception of the period linked to the [[Second World War]]), Charleroi only experienced liberal mayors and majorities. The municipal elections in 1976, just before the merger of municipalities, brought an absolute majority for the [[Socialist Party (Belgium)|Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste or PS)]], and Lucien Harmegnies, previous minister and until then mayor of [[Marcinelle]], became the first socialist mayor of the new entity. Since 1977, the Socialist Party has constantly been part of the political majority within the municipal council, either holding an absolute majority or being in coalition with other parties.

In 2005, numerous judicial affairs put into question Charleroi's elected socialist municipal councillors. The media resonance and the impact were significant at local, regional and even national level. At local level, the PS lost its absolute majority as a result of the municipality elections of 8 October 2006.
{{See also|Carolorégienne affair}}

[[File:Voka-20220201-Toppol-Thomas Dermine-web-106 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Thomas Dermine]], mayor of Charleroi since 2024]]

At the elections of October 2012, the PS, under the leadership of [[Paul Magnette]], regained the absolute majority at the municipal council. Mayor Paul Magnette chose, however, to open the socialist majority and to reconduct the coalition of socialists, liberals and centrists.<ref name="52 serments devant 500 spectateurs">[http://www.lavenir.net/article/detail.aspx?articleid=DMF20121204_00240104 52 serments devant 500 spectateurs], [[L'Avenir (Belgique)|L'Avenir]], {{date|4|décembre|2012}}</ref> At the municipal elections of 2018, Magnette, re-elected mayor, opened the socialist city majority to ecologists and centrists (C+).

===Municipal elections===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Party
![[Belgian municipal elections, 2000|2000]] (%)
![[Belgian municipal elections, 2006|2006]] (%)
![[2012 Belgian local elections|2012]] (%)
![[2018 Belgian local elections|2018]] (%)
|-
|[[Socialist Party (francophone Belgium)|Socialist Party]] (''Parti Socialiste'')
|51.4
|38.4
|47.7
|41.3
|-
|[[Reformist Movement]] (''Mouvement Réformateur'')
|16.1
|24.6
|16.3
|11.2
|-
|[[Humanist Democratic Centre]] (''Centre Démocrate Humaniste'')
|9.6
|14.4
|10.6
|7.61<sup>(*)</sup>
|-
|[[National Front (Belgium)|National Front]] (''Front National'')
|6.9
|9.5
|5.8<sup>(**)</sup>
|/
|-
|[[Ecolo]]
|11.4
|8.1
|7.4
|7.4
|-
|[[Workers' Party of Belgium|PTB/PTB+]]
|1.3
|2.1
|3.4
|15.7
|-
|[[DéFI]]
|/
|/
|1.8
|5.2
|-
|}

<small> (*)Under the local list name "C+" </small>
<small> (**)Under alternative name </small>