Kruisem

Kruisem (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkrœysəm]) is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders that was established on 1 January 2019 from the merging of the municipalities of Kruishoutem and Zingem.

Kruisem
Municipality
Casier Castle
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Kruisem
Kruisem Location in Belgium Location of Kruisem in East Flanders
Coordinates: 50°54′16″N 3°31′41″E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	East Flanders
Arrondissement	Oudenaarde
Government
• Mayor	Joop Verzele (CD&V)
• Governing party/ies	CD&V
Area
• Total	71.59 km2 (27.64 sq mi)
Population  (2022-01-01)[1]
• Total	15,876
• Density	221.8/km2 (574.4/sq mi)
Postal codes	9750, 9770, 9771, 9772
NIS code	45068
Area codes	09
Website	www.kruisem.be

The merged municipality has an area of 71.59 km² and a population of 15,876 people as of 2022.^[2] The municipality consists of the deelgemeentes Huise, Kruishoutem, Nokere [nl], Ouwegem, Wannegem-Lede [nl] and Zingem.^[3]

Creation

See also: Fusion of the Belgian municipalities

The Flemish Government provides incentives for municipalities to voluntarily merge. The municipal councils of Kruishoutem and Zingem approved a merge in 2017, which was ratified by Flemish decree of 4 May 2018 alongside several other merges, all to be effective per 1 January 2019.

As of 1 January 2018, the municipality of Kruishoutem had a population of 8,086 and Zingem a population of 7,552.

Government

The first elections for the new municipality were held during the regular local elections of 14 October 2018, electing a municipal council for the legislative period of 2019–2024. CD&V obtained a majority of seats in the municipal council (14 out of 25). Joop Verzele becomes mayor of Kruisem.