”As you know, in 2019 I gave up my seat in the Walloon Parliament to come to Ath” he says. “I did it with great enthusiasm but, remember, we were in a completely different configuration. The PS was present in all governments with strong personalities within it capable of defending citizens. Today, the political landscape has changed. We are being told of very harsh measures for the sick, the pensioners, the unemployed, the young, etc. To hear the declarations, we have to fear that the government will cut everything.”
”In this context, choosing between Parliamentarian and Mayor is not easy. Until last night, I thought I was in the conditions of combining my functions as Mayor and deputy. Finally I learned that it was not possible… therefore act… I hesitated a lot. The rule of combining functions in Wallonia does not leave me the possibility of being mayor and parliamentarian at the same time even though that is really what I wanted deep down and everyone knows it well.”
”If the PS were in charge in the governments, the question would surely not arise, but given the context, it is our duty to mobilize all the progressive forces in the Walloon Parliament to defend the citizens and, as far as I am concerned, in particular, our beautiful region. Ath had up to 4 elected to Parliament a few years ago. If I go to Namur, I will soon be the only one. I don’t want us to be erased from the debates. I want our city and our region to be represented in Namur. I want Ath to count too.”
”We need women and men in the Walloon Parliament who know the realities on the ground and who raise citizens’ concerns. Otherwise, the risk of having a disconnected parliament is immense. This is why I decided to sit as a Deputy and take the oath this Tuesday in parliament with the corollary of abandoning my mayoral office as the law requires me to do. I obviously do not claim to alone ensure the representation of the municipalities of Picardy Wallonia but I undertake to put all my experience into it and you all know my faculties of work and persuasion.”
”At the same time, I will nevertheless continue to invest myself energetically and rigorously for Ath. If the PS group and more broadly the municipal majority accept it, I would also like to become President of the Municipal Council and get involved in local debates and issues. I will do this by being a transmission belt between the field and Parliament.”
”The law requires in any case that local authorities can no longer take measures from July 13 until the October elections… therefore the impact on the City of Ath will be more than limited if not non-existent in the coming weeks. But I want to stay by your side and continue to work for our city, our region and its fellow citizens.”
 will be sworn in as Deputy: he will not keep his mayoral sash){kind=link}