From fatigue and burn-out to insecurity, the feeling of emptiness and downright disgust, the reasons why Belgian politicians – on the federal, regional and municipal levels – are leaving politics are growing.
Ahead of the decisive year that 2024 will be – with the European, regional and federal elections in June, followed by the local and provincial ones in October – a number of notable Belgian politicians have already announced that they will not be up for election again.
The latest on to announce that he was taking a step back from politics, was Jean-Claude Marcourt (67), a member of the Francophone socialist PS party. As former Minister of Economy and Education as well as President of the Walloon Parliament, he believes that there is no longer room for nuance in politics.
"If you come in with moderate proposals, you are crushed. I no longer recognised myself in this model. It is not my way of doing politics," he told Sudinfo.
Permanent paralysis
Catherine Fonck of Les Engagés announced that she decided to leave politics for similar reasons in 2024. "I remain passionate about public affairs. Politics can do bring out the best in people, but it can also bring out the worst and I can no longer accept this worst," she told the newspaper in September.
"It is not workable, this permanent paralysis. Sometimes you hear all parties saying the same thing with a very broad common base. Then they argue and in the end, nothing moves. They prefer to block everything. I can no longer support this form of politics."
Previously a Brussels MP for the radical-left PTB/PVDA, Youssef Handichi opted to leave his post and return to the life of a worker – or "real life," as he called it. "I think I have covered this political life, which has become too theoretical. There's a big problem there. Parliament has worn me out. It is a life too far from reality."
Lawyer Christine Defraigne of the Francophone liberal MR party, former president of the Senate and current first city councillor of the City of Liège, plans a return to the bar after 2024.
Catherine Fonck of Les Engagés. Credit: Belga
Former Brussels Minister and current head of the Les Engagés group in the Brussels parliament Céline Fremault will also leave politics next year to become secretary general of the future Saint-Louis Brussels Foundation.
Georges Dallemagne, Les Engagés federal MP, will also not stand for election again next year in order to be able to devote himself to his "third life." Neither bitter nor disillusioned, the former doctor told Le Soir that he wanted to escape from this world due to the "brutality of the political context."
Mayors Bernard Bauwens (of Antoing in Hainaut) and Daniel Olivier (of Seraing, in Liège) announced their upcoming departure, citing mental fatigue: threats delivered to their homes, singled out in municipal councils, questioned on social media.
Others talk about the harshness of being in the arena every day, or justify their choice by a desire to pass the torch – such as Guy Vanhengel of the Flemish liberal Open VLD party. "It is up to the younger generation to take things in hand," he told Bruzz, adding that he wanted to "leave politics in a decent way."
Back to the 'Village Street'
Formerly the Federal Health Minister as well as the most popular politician in Belgium, Open VLD's Maggie De Block said that she does not want to "hold on too tightly" to her seat in the Chamber. "It is time for a second honeymoon."
At the end of March 2022, Federal MP for Flemish rightwing N-VA Valérie Van Peel announced her upcoming departure following her disappointment on the nitrogen issue. Also at N-VA, Lorin Parys had previously abandoned the vice presidency to become CEO of the Pro Football League.
Currently, Flanders is experiencing a wave of politicians leaving the Rue de la Loi of Federal or Regional politics for the so-called "Village street" in an attempt to get back to municipal decision-making, where they can carry out more concrete policy.
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This was the case for Wouter De Vriendt (Groen), Leen Dierick (CD&V), Bart Somers (Open VLD), Kristof Calvo (Groen), Bart Tommelein (Open VLD), Bjorn Rzoska (Groen) and Elisabeth Meuleman (Groen), among others, who have all declared that they want to devote themselves more in the field.
With the elections coming up next year, some of these announcements are calculated changes but still: these desires to change the way they do politics remain the expression of a need to leave a daily life under permanent tension.
