Belgium's parliament has approved a bill granting non-European Union immigrants the right to vote in local elections.
The senate had already approved the bill before the parliament's lower house voted through the legislation early today.
The issue has split Belgium along political and linguistic lines, a dangerous mix in a country where the government needs a majority in Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia in order to rule. The next local elections are due in 2006.
Most Flemish parties were against the plan but nearly all the francophone parties were in favour. Immigrants typically speak French.
Prime Minister Mr Guy Verhofstadt's Liberal party has found itself outnumbered in Belgium's coalition government by the supporters of the proposal. The issue would affect about 120,000 non-EU residents in a country of 10 million.
A policy relaxation in 2000 has already allowed thousands of foreigners to take up Belgian citizenship.
Within Mr Verhofstadt's coalition, three of the four language-based parties of liberals and socialists back the bill, while only his own Flemish liberals are against it.
EU countries agreed in 1992 to let their citizens vote in local elections anywhere in the 15-nation bloc, and some countries have extended this to all residents.