Non-EU immigrant voting rights

NO Austria Belgium France Germany Greece Italy Luxembourg YES Denmark Finland Ireland Sweden Netherlands SOME Portugal Spain UK

In five countries they automatically do have the right to vote after anything from between six months to five years of residence.

Other countries, like Spain, Portugal and the UK, have adopted a middle position in which only some groups benefit.

Two years ago, EU residents first exercised their new right to vote in local and European elections wherever they were living for the first time.

The pressure has been mounting in Belgium for that same right to be given to other foreigners - some of whom have lived in the country for most of their lives.

One in 10 Belgian residents is of foreign origin, and the measure would have enfranchised 123,000 non-EU residents over the age of 18, according to the Interior Ministry.

Divided coalition

The Socialist and Green parties led the political campaign for change, despite opposition from their Liberal coalition partners.

Socialist Senator Louis Tobback said that giving all resident taxpayers the right to vote in local elections was just common sense.

I cannot see why we should take measures now that will only benefit the extreme right

Karel de Grucht Flemish Liberal party

"Why can't they vote when they have been in the local community for five years," he asked, "when they have been living and participating in community life, paying taxes and contributions to social security - when they not only have the same rights, but the same duties?"

But surrounding this debate were fears that the right-wing Vlaams Blok could gain votes at next year's general elections if immigrants were given the vote now.

The Vlaams Blok is currently the biggest party on councils in two of Belgium's largest cities - Antwerp and Mechelen.

The party most likely to lose votes to the Blok is the centre-right Flemish Liberal party, which heads the government coalition.

"I cannot see why we should take measures now that will only benefit the extreme right," said Karel de Grucht, the president of the Flemish Liberal party.

"It's not something that it you don't give it, it breaches a fundamental right."