Belgium's newly-appointed State Secretary for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity, Marie-Colline Leroy (Ecolo), has been sworn in by the King on Tuesday.
Leroy, 39, who was the House Chair of the Social Affairs Committee and member of the French-speaking Green party Ecolo, was put forward for the position after her parliamentary work had already greatly focused on equal opportunities and gender equality.
"I am honoured to have taken the oath before the King this morning," she said on Twitter on Tuesday. "The fight against inequality and discrimination does not wait, I immediately start my assignment as State Secretary for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity to continue the work of Sarah Schlitz."
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who was present as Leroy was sworn in before King Philippe, welcomed her to the Federal Government and stated that he is "looking forward to working together for gender equality and equal opportunities for all."
Leroy will replace Schlitz, who resigned on Wednesday this week after her position became untenable following revelations that she lied about using her personal logo on government-subsidised projects.
Additionally, it also came to light that various calls for projects launched by the Federal Government had required applicants to explicitly mention Schlitz's support on any of their future work.
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The Chamber of Representatives was set to vote on Thursday on whether she could stay but Schlitz decided to resign the day before, even as her cabinet argued that she is not the first politician to have been found lying to parliament, arguing this episode is proof of a certain "double standard."
During her period as State Secretary, Schlitz helped the Federal Government step up the fight against all forms of discrimination. Schlitz pushed for the official banning of conversion therapy and created a national plan to combat gender-based violence, among other things.
