However, it was the only Belgian arrondissement that was headed by a governor and a vice-governor until 2014 when these posts were abolished in accord with the 2011 state reform.

The Brussels-Capital Region is divided into 19 municipalities, of which the City of Brussels is the largest and most populous.

The governor exercised most of the few remaining powers elsewhere exercised by a provincial governor, particularly in the field of public order, as far as no (federal) law, (regional) decree, ordonnance or decision states otherwise.

[2] The governor was appointed by the government of the Brussels-Capital Region on the unanimous advice of the Federal Council of Ministers.

The regional government also appointed the vice-governor, who was required to have a considerable knowledge of both French and Dutch and who had a duty to ensure that the legislation regarding the use of languages was observed in the Brussels region.