2023-10-22 14:26:54
The former president of Open Vld Gwendolyn Rutten is leaving national politics, she indicated on Facebook, shortly following the announcement of the appointment of Paul Van Tigchelt as Minister of Justice to replace Vincent Van Quickenborne.
Ms Rutten openly spoke of “disrespectful treatment” from the leadership of the Flemish Liberal Party towards her to justify her decision.
“In recent days it has become clear that the current party leadership no longer sees a significant role for me. That it is so is the destiny of every politician. The disrespectful manner in which this happened contributed to my decision,” she wrote on her Facebook post.
“Today my national political role ends. After 25 years of active participation in Open Vld and 13 years following my first election as a member of parliament, it is time to satisfy my desire to help shape society in a different way. I will no longer run in the Flemish or federal legislative elections and I will support the other liberals in pursuing this great mandate,” she declared.
Ms. Rutten also announced that she would remain mayor of Aarschot where she hopes to continue to benefit from the trust of the residents. This seems to indicate that she has the ambition to run once more for the mayoral sash in the Brabant city by the end of next year.
In recent weeks, Ms. Rutten had declared that she wanted to make way for young candidates and that she was not aiming for the top position in the federal or Flemish elections next June. In the meantime, his name appeared on the lists of candidates to succeed Vincent Van Quickenborne.
“I love democracy and society too much to let myself be cynically drawn into a game that is not mine. It was good, but now I’m turning the page,” she added, wishing Paul Van Tigchelt every success in his new role.
Ms. Rutten began her career with the Flemish Liberals as an assistant to the then president, Karel De Gucht. She then worked in the European institutions, then in various liberal cabinets. She failed in a first attempt to become party president in 2009. Three years later, she succeeded Alexander De Croo. She extended her mandate in 2016, but did not participate in the 2020 presidential elections.
In the meantime, Ms. Rutten was successively elected to the House of Representatives and the Flemish Parliament, where she still sits today. In 2019, she was sworn in as the first female mayor of Aarschot.
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