The question mark over the future of Vivaldi’s leader gives us the opportunity to review the fate of former prime ministers over the past two decades. Generally, they were able to stand out thanks to a solid address book and their experience at the highest level.
Guy Verhofstadt, the feisty and passionate European
He marked the beginning of the 2000s with his conversion. Nicknamed Baby Thatcher Initially a supporter of the hard line of economic liberalism, Guy Verhofstadt became in 1999 the Prime Minister of a so-called “Rainbow” majority, made up of the blues, reds and greens. This opening to the socialist and ecological left had been prepared during the 1990s, that of the refocusing of the Belgian liberals on the model of the “third way”. In the south of the country, Louis Michel also emphasized progressive values.
At the height of his glory, in 2004, Guy Verhofstadt was cited among the possible successors to Romano Prodi as president of the European Commission, but the British blocked his path. After leading two other federal majorities in Belgium, he finally became a Member of the European Parliament in 2009. He quickly took the lead of the liberal parliamentarians and, with enthusiasm, held this position for ten years. He then multiplied initiatives and publications in favor of European federalism. True to this commitment, he currently chairs the International European Movement, a pressure group that promotes European integration.
Yves Leterme, the provocateur who loved the international
Laurette Onkelinx said of him that he was “a dangerous man” because he had called for negotiations on the institutional future of Brussels… Was Yves Leterme made for 16, rue de la Loi? The caustic traits of the Christian Democrat will have stained a career at the top. Trained at the Court of Auditors , Yves Leterme suffered from his reputation as a hard-working accountant as one can be in West Flanders, yet he often sparked controversy. For example, he declared in. Libé that the French-speaking Belgians “are not intellectually fit to learn Dutch“…
Belgian Prime Ministers on a timeline.
Coming from a modest background, he was destined for a ministry in his image, technical and austere. But circumstances will offer him the post of Flemish Minister-President and that of Prime Minister twice. His time at the federal level will leave the memory of a chaotic and electric period on the community level. Yves Leterme had always been attracted by an international career. The end of his career at Belgian level, at the end of 2011, gave him the opportunity. He becomes deputy secretary general of the OECD for three years. Between 2014 and 2019, he also served as Secretary General of the intergovernmental organization IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance).
Herman Van Rompuy, the brain facilitator
Herman Van Rompuy’s journey demonstrates that humility is not necessarily a burden in politics. “Some of my colleagues end up believing that they are important. Me, I have important functions but I am not important“, he confided to The Free during the summer of 2008. He was then President of the House. A few weeks later, he became Prime Minister. The first Leterme government came across the Fortis affair. Herman Van Rompuy will only stay ten months at 16, rue de la Loi. At the end of 2009, he was appointed President of the European Council.
The satelliteing of this very cerebral CD&V, then little known on the international scene, came after the failures, in 1994 and 2004, of Jean-Luc Dehaene and Guy Verhofstadt, both candidates for the presidency of the Commission. The irruption of the Flemish Christian Democrat into the European game will not cause a rupture. He will not seek to appear as “the president of the Union”, preferring the discreet role of the facilitator who works out compromises. Author of collections of haiku, extremely brief and elegant poems of Japanese origin, he saw a link between his political style and his literary passion: “A haiku poet cannot be extravagant, nor highly conceited, nor extremist. he confided. In 2018, Herman Van Rompuy became president of the International European Training Center, succeeding Philippe Maystadt, who died in 2017.
Elio Di Rupo, the socialist phenix
He makes no secret of it: mastery of foreign languages is not his main asset. Thanks to his intellectual abilities and his hard work, Elio Di Rupo nevertheless managed to escape from the destiny that promised him the miserable barracks of Morlanwelz, where he grew up. It is perhaps these linguistic difficulties which led him, after 16, rue de la Loi, to pursue his career at the Belgian level rather than in international circles.
His appointment as Prime Minister in 2011 put an end to the longest political crisis experienced by our country (541 days). In 2014, Elio Di Rupo will hand over the keys of “16” to Charles Michel, and will then concentrate on his duties as president of the PS. In 2019, he will even settle, for the third time in 25 years, at the Élysette. The regional after the federal, Namur after Brussels, that contrasts with habits. During the last elections, somewhat pushed behind the back by certain socialist comrades, Elio Di Rupo (re) became an MEP. “I didn’t steal my votes from anyone. I believe that I still have great legitimacy. When they no longer want me, they will release me“, he prophesied in an interview given to The Free, two years ago.
Charles Michel, from the Europe summit to uncertainty
This man got everything he dreamed of. Walloon minister at 24, federal minister, president of the MR, Prime Minister of the “Swedish” coalition then of a residual government in current affairs and, finally, President of the European Council (from 2019 to 2024). Installed at “16”, he knew how to maneuver skillfully and take advantage of the events of the moment. Appreciated by Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, the Belgian Prime Minister took the initiative of organizing European pre-summits between a few continental leaders. History of energizing the Union but also of carving out an international destiny, a way out for “after”. And it worked.
His time at the top of Europe, however, left criticism in his wake. His poor relations with the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen – a secret known to all – did not allow him to embody the new breath that European federalism needed. In recent months, his star has faded even further. Charles Michel, after having procrastinated for a long time, had to give up running in the European elections in June in order to complete his mandate as President of the Council. Suspected of putting his interests ahead of those of the EU, he received virulent criticism. Without a prestigious function to assume, the liberal now remains in reserve. At 49, he undoubtedly still harbors ambitions. Which ones? Cautious, he is careful not to share it with the media…
Sophie Wilmès, the path to wisdom
Sophie Wilmès has a line on her CV that no one can ever dispute: she was the first woman to occupy “16”. Then Federal Budget Minister, she was chosen by Charles Michel to succeed him when he left his position as Prime Minister for the European Council. After facing the first wave of the pandemic in early 2020, the liberal will cede 16, rue de la Loi, to Alexander De Croo. However, she will remain at the federal level for two years, as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister MR. Before resigning for painful family reasons.
The five reasons that allowed Charles Michel to become President of the European Council
Passionate about international relations and diplomacy, she will choose the European ballot in the 2024 elections rather than the federal level. To the great dismay of his party president, Georges-Louis Bouchez. Sophie Wilmès will obtain nearly… 550,000 votes. A record on the French-speaking side. After such success, in a position of strength, she could have achieved anything she wanted. The post of European commissioner allocated to Belgium, for example. But the liberal gave up this hectic supranational life and chose her children. It is Hadja Lahbib who will join Ursula von der Leyen’s new team. From now on, Sophie Wilmès is vice-president of the European Parliament. Who knows if one day, at the end of this legislature, it will not come back to the forefront?
