The youth wing of Open VLD has criticised party members for job-hopping between various mandates.
Youth chairman Sepp Tyvaert stated that the party’s image was tarnished multiple times over the past year by politicians who resigned early as ministers to become mayors again, which likely contributed to the poor election results.
During their New Year’s reception, the young liberals awarded the “Blauwe Kneus” (Blue Bruise) – a dubious distinction given annually to individuals who have harmed liberal values in some way – to the group of politicians who hold multiple roles, reportedly by an overwhelming majority.
In recent years, several top Open VLD members, such as Bart Somers and Gwendolyn Rutten, resigned as ministers to focus on their local mandates. Vincent Van Quickenborne resigned due to political accountability for an error in the Brussels prosecutor’s office following an attack on Swedish football fans in Brussels.
Tyvaert declared, “With this award, our members are sending a strong message that we no longer tolerate such decadent careerism among our party’s politicians.” The youth wing plans to propose a ban on holding multiple positions at the next statutory congress.
The title “Blauwe Reus” (Blue Giant) was awarded to Kjell Vander Elst and Imane Belguenani, who were elected last June to the federal and Brussels parliaments, respectively. This honour is given to individuals who have made valuable contributions to liberal values.
