Crossing the Rubicon: Strategies and Motivations behind Cross-ethnolinguistic Vote-seeking in the Brussels Capital Region

Abstract

How and why do political parties seek cross-ethnolinguistic support within a consociation? This article constitutes a thematic analysis of 30 interviews undertaken with MPs from the Brussels Capital Region (Belgium). It shows how both strategic and principled considerations underpin the logic of parties appealing to the other language group. I identify six strategies: employing customized communication, cultivating visibility, fostering cross-ethnolinguistic interactions, presenting alternative party offerings, establishing a ‘Brussels’ image, and navigating voters. However, in adopting these, they encounter (in)formal and practical obstacles. These findings are significant, as seeking cross-ethnolinguistic support is expected to mitigate tendencies toward outbidding and extremism.