Conner Rousseau, the president of Vooruit, has become a major threat to the status of Bart De Wever, president of N-VA, as the most popular politician in Flanders. Despite criticism, the 30-year-old is positioning himself as a bulwark once morest Vlaams Belang. His popularity has increased the possibility of him succeeding Alexander De Croo as Prime Minister, with some even discussing the possibility of a pre-agreement between Vooruit and N-VA to form the future backbone of the federal government and Flemish executive. Rousseau recently declared himself a candidate for his own succession and cites ministers Frank Vandenbroucke and Caroline Gennez’s work for the government as examples of policies he will continue to defend in the upcoming 2024 elections while also expressing his concern for education, care, and climate.
Its popularity has skyrocketed in recent years. To the point of making Conner Rousseau, president of Vooruit, the main threat to the status of the most popular politician in Flanders that Bart De Wever, president of the N-VA, has been trusting for years.
At 30, Conner Rousseau has no intention of stopping there. He declared himself, this Thursday evening on Facebook, officially a candidate for his own succession at the head of the Dutch-speaking Social Democratic Party.
Vooruit’s presidential election is expected to be held in early June, several months ahead of schedule.
The young thirty-year-old was elected in November 2019, for 4 years, to the presidency of the SP.A, which he has since transformed into Vooruit. Beyond the name change, the political formation has evolved both in substance and in form.
Omnipresent on social networks, King Connah (his Instagram pseudonym) quickly won over Generation Y, while not hesitating to mix politics and entertainment. The president of Vooruit, for example, did not hesitate to dress up as a rabbit to participate on VTM in the “Mask Singer” show, assuming the mix of genres.
A straightening of the discourse
On the merits, the socialist did not hesitate to right his speech on several occasions, with very critical remarks on the FGTB, Wallonia or the unions. “When I walk in Molenbeek, I don’t feel like in Belgium“, he also said.
Ahmed Laaouej, leader of the PS group in the Chamber, had reproached him in particular for the repetition of remarks “as stupid as they are xenophobic, intended to speak to part of Flemish public opinion.”
Despite criticism, particularly from the French-speaking side, this seductive BV (bekende Vlamingen, famous Flemish) is positioning itself as a bulwark once morest Vlaams Belang, while the polls place this party in the lead in the north of the country.
The posture is not devoid of foundation, to read the latest polls. Vooruit collects 15.2% of voting intentions and records a margin of progress of 4.4 points compared to 2019. The Flemish socialists, admittedly far behind the Vlaams Belang (24.8%) and the N-VA (21, 5%), thus appear as the third political formation in Flanders, clearly ahead of the Open VLD (12.1%) and the CD&V (9.6%).
Given his popularity, some are even talking regarding the possibility of Conner Rousseau succeeding Alexander De Croo as Prime Minister. A position for which the president of the French-speaking socialists, Paul Magnette, has already declared himself a candidate.
A pre-agreement with the N-VA?
Suspicions of a pre-agreement between Vooruit and the N-VA to form the future backbone of the federal government and the Flemish executive have also been widely discussed in the Flemish press, following a lunch between Bart De Wever and Conner Rousseau in a “ trendy restaurant”, last year.
The denials followed, without however convincing.
In his presidency statement on social networks, Conner Rousseau looks ahead to the 2024 elections. He cites the work of ministers Frank Vandenbroucke, whom he himself brought out of retirement to entrust to him with the management of the Covid crisis. , and Caroline Gennez to the federal government, ensuring “keep his word” for the defense of purchasing power, health, as well as the increase in wages and pensions.
But he also says he is concerned regarding education, care and the climate… So many subjects on which he says he wants to take responsibility.
As Conner Rousseau officially declares himself a candidate for his own succession at the head of the Dutch-speaking Social Democratic Party, his popularity continues to rise. The young thirty-year-old has transformed the political formation of Vooruit and won over Generation Y with his mix of politics and entertainment. Despite criticism from the French-speaking side, he is positioning himself as a bulwark once morest Vlaams Belang and is even being touted as a potential future Prime Minister. Suspicions of a pre-agreement with the N-VA to form the future backbone of the federal government and the Flemish executive have been denied, but the rumors persist. As we look ahead to the 2024 elections, it remains to be seen what Conner Rousseau’s tenure will bring and how he will handle issues such as education, care, and the climate.