The political party Anders officially adopted new statutes on Saturday, marking a significant change in its structure and approach, including a fresh lineup on electoral lists and new roles for non-members.
Members of the liberal party convened in Hasselt to approve the statutes, which also formalised the party’s rebranding from Open VLD to Anders. The overhaul significantly streamlined the documents, reducing them from roughly 100 pages to fewer than 20.
The revision followed a lengthy participatory process that began before Frédéric De Gucht assumed leadership. Final adjustments were made during the meeting, with an overwhelming majority of around 300 attendees voting in favour of the new statutes.
One key innovation allows individuals who align with the party but do not wish to become full members to register as “medestAnders.” This enables them to participate in debates, while “tegenstAnders” — external critics of party positions — can also contribute as a sounding board.
In another step towards political renewal, the party will require that at least one of the top two candidates on every parliamentary election list has no prior experience in elected national roles. Successors on lists cannot be sitting or former parliamentarians who have served a full term.
After the meeting, De Gucht pointed to the profound changes the party has enacted, saying, “We have literally buried the VLD today. We now have new statutes, a new mission statement, and updated rules. We’ve articulated our vision for modern liberalism and resolved debates that have lingered for 30 years.”
