2023-11-06 16:32:50
The Flemish Minister of Internal Affairs, Bart Somers (Open VLD), announced on Monday that he had resigned from the Flemish government. He wants to concentrate on the city of Mechelen, of which he once again becomes mayor, he announced on X (formerly Twitter).
Bart Somers was the number one liberal in the Flemish government, with responsibility for Internal Affairs, Administration, Integration and Equal Opportunities. During the previous legislature, he was head of the Open VLD group in the Flemish parliament.
The 59-year-old liberal wants to concentrate on his hometown, Mechelen, of which he is the mayor in office. “If my fellow citizens wish, I will fully commit myself as mayor during the next legislature to making Mechelen a warm and inspiring place to live for all its inhabitants,” he wrote on X.
Bart Somers intends to leave room for change within his party. “Only with new people at the forefront can liberalism be reborn in Flanders. This is why I fully support Tom Ongena (president of the Open VLD, editor’s note) in his renewal operation. I call on the liberals of my generation to give new talents maximum opportunities.”
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The man also called on the leadership of his party to appoint a new face as his successor, showing courage, but also to guarantee the credibility of the announced renewal, he said.
Mr. Somers also announced that he wanted to return to the benches of the Flemish Parliament. His seat is currently occupied by Tom Ongena, elected as his deputy in 2019. The latter praised on X a “bridge builder” always ready to “roll up his sleeves and tackle the problems of the Flemings”.
Bart Somers will give a press conference in Mechelen on Tuesday at 4 p.m. The party promised information on his succession in the coming days.
The resignation of Bart Somers constitutes a new upheaval for the Open Vld, already very weakened in the polls, after the controversial choice, two weeks ago, of Paul Van Tigchelt to replace the resigning Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne. This episode had aroused internal criticism of the party’s leaders, including Mr. Somers.
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