Schepen

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A schepen (Dutch, pl. schepenen, French échevin, pl. échevins, German Schöffe, pl. Schöffen) is an official of the local government in Belgium. The equivalent in England is an alderman. In the Netherlands, a schepen is a wethouder.

Schepenen are chosen by and from the city council. The parties of the schepenen together with the mayor form the local government. The total number of schepenen depends on the size of the population of the community. A large city like Antwerp has ten schepenen, while Herstappe, the smallest community in Belgium, has two.

The position of schepenen can roughly be compared to the position of ministers in a national government. The task of a schepen is to assist the mayor (Dutch burgemeester, French bourgmestre (though 'maire' is more usual), German Bürgermeister) in the governing of the city, in certain specified areas. Among these areas are often culture, education and spatial planning. To a large extent, schepenen can be compared to deputy mayors.

EU nationals residing in Belgium have municipal voting rights since the 2000 municipal and district elections and can be elected as members of a municipal (or district) council but may not become schepen/échevin/Schöffe or burgemeester/bourgmestre/Bürgermeister.

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