Patrick Dewael

Patrick Dewael
Patrick Dewael
President of the Chamber of Representatives
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 27 June 2019
Preceded by	Siegfried Bracke
	In office; 30 June 2014 – 14 October 2014
Preceded by	André Flahaut
Succeeded by	Siegfried Bracke
	In office; 31 December 2008 – 19 July 2010
Preceded by	Herman Van Rompuy
Succeeded by	André Flahaut
Minister of the Interior
	In office; 12 July 2003 – 22 December 2008
Prime Minister	Guy Verhofstadt; Yves Leterme
Preceded by	Antoine Duquesne
Succeeded by	Guido De Padt
Minister-President of Flanders
	In office; 13 July 1999 – 5 June 2003
Preceded by	Luc Van den Brande
Succeeded by	Renaat Landuyt (Acting)
Personal details
Born	13 October 1955; Lier, Belgium
Political party	Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats
Alma mater	Free University of Brussels, Dutch

Patrick Yvonne Hugo Dewael, (Dutch: [ˈpɑtrɪg dəˈʋaːl];[1] born 13 October 1955 in Lier, Belgium) is a liberal Belgian politician. He is a member of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats, or Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten (VLD). He is the nephew of the late liberal minister Herman Vanderpoorten and the cousin of Marleen Vanderpoorten, who also served as Flemish minister of Education in the government led by Dewael. He obtained a degree in law and notariat from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium). Currently, he serves as the President of the Chamber of Representatives, a position he also held from 2008 to 2010.

Political career

He was first elected to the Belgian Parliament in 1985. From 1985 to 1992 Dewael served for the PVV as Flemish minister of Culture in the governments led by Gaston Geens (II, III and IV). After the defeat of the liberals at the 1992 elections, Dewael served as an opposition MP until the liberals regained power in 1999.

He was Minister-President of the regional government of Flanders from 1999 to 2003. After the Federal elections of 2003, Dewael resigned as Minister-President in order to serve as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior in the Belgian Federal government led by Guy Verhofstadt.

When Kurdish militant Fehriye Erdal was sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment by a Bruges court on 28 February 2006, it turned out that she had shaken off the Belgian secret service, which had had the responsibility of following her since 23 February 2006 (Erdal had been under house arrest since 2000). Both the Minister of Justice, Laurette Onkelinx, and the Minister of the Interior, Patrick Dewael came under fire for this incident.

He was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Interior in the Leterme I Government, which took office on 20 March 2008.[2] On 31 December 2008, he became President of the Chamber of Representatives. He was replaced as Interior Minister by Guido De Padt.

Private life

Patrick Dewael lives in Tongeren, a town of which he is also the mayor.

Patrick Dewael was married to Marleen Van Doren, with whom he has three children. On 24 August 2005 Dewael released a press communiqué in which he announced that he was leaving his wife for VRT journalist Greet Op de Beeck. On 19 July 2019 he married Op de Beeck.[3]

Honours

2014 : Knight Grand Cross in the Order of Leopold II.[4]
2002 : Knight Grand Cross Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, decree of 14/10/2002 [5]

References

Patrick in isolation: [ˈpɑtrɪk].
"20 March 2008 – Royal Orders. Government – Dismissals – Appointments" (PDF) (in Dutch and French). The Belgian Official Journal. 21 March 2008. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 30 March 2008.
Kamervoorzitter Patrick Dewael en Greet Op De Beeck in besloten kring getrouwd(in Dutch)
"Koninklijk Besluit nationale orden bij koninklijke besluiten van 26 mei 2014 zijn de hierna vermelde leden van het europees parlement bevorderd of benoemd : leopoldsorde grootofficier mevr. durant isabelle, ondervoorzitster van het europees parlement r de heer belet ivo,".
web, Segretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica-Servizio sistemi informatici- reparto. "Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana".

External links

Patrick Dewael (Official website)

Political offices
Preceded by Luc Van den Brande	Minister-President of Flanders 1999–2003	Succeeded by Renaat Landuyt Acting
Preceded by Antoine Duquesne	Minister of the Interior 2003–2008	Succeeded by Guido De Padt
Preceded by Herman Van Rompuy	President of the Chamber of Representatives 2008–2010	Succeeded by André Flahaut
Preceded by André Flahaut	President of the Chamber of Representatives 2014	Succeeded by Siegfried Bracke

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[1] Patrick in isolation: [ˈpɑtrɪk].

[2] "20 March 2008 – Royal Orders. Government – Dismissals – Appointments" (PDF) (in Dutch and French). The Belgian Official Journal. 21 March 2008. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 30 March 2008.

[3] Kamervoorzitter Patrick Dewael en Greet Op De Beeck in besloten kring getrouwd(in Dutch)

[4] "Koninklijk Besluit nationale orden bij koninklijke besluiten van 26 mei 2014 zijn de hierna vermelde leden van het europees parlement bevorderd of benoemd : leopoldsorde grootofficier mevr. durant isabelle, ondervoorzitster van het europees parlement r de heer belet ivo,".

[5] web, Segretariato generale della Presidenza della Repubblica-Servizio sistemi informatici- reparto. "Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana".