Municipal councils were elected by the Imperiali highest averages method, a form of open-list party-list proportional representation.

[5] Two-term mayor Bart De Wever (N-VA) was a candidate to continue governing the most populous city, Antwerp.

Open Vld (with mayor Mathias De Clercq) and Groen (with first alderman Filip Watteeuw [nl]) were the two main political parties since the 2018 elections.

The current governing coalition is composed of Vooruit-Groen (a joint list in 2018), Open Vld and CD&V.

[8] In September 2024, the Vlaams Belang sparked controversy by putting Roeland Raes who had previously been convicted of Holocaust denial as one of its candidates in the upcoming municipal elections before removing his candidacy the following day.