Geert Bourgeois
| Geert Bourgeois | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Minister-President of Flanders | |
|
Assumed office 25 July 2014 |
|
| Preceded by | Kris Peeters |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
6 July 1951 Roeselare, Belgium |
| Political party |
People's Union (Before 2001) New Flemish Alliance (2001–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Hoste |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Ghent University |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Geert Albert Bourgeois (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣeːrd burˈʒwɑ]; born 6 July 1951) is a Belgian lawyer and politician, who is a member of the separatist party New Flemish Alliance, N-VA). Since 2014, he has been the Minister-President of Flanders and Flemish Minister for Foreign Policy and architectural heritage.
Bourgeois first entered elective politics in 1977 when he was elected a member of the city council in Izegem. From 1983 to 1994 he served as an alderman.
In 1995 he was elected to the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and, being re-elected in 1999 and 2003, served until July 2004, when he resigned having been elected to the Flemish Parliament.
Since July 2004, Bourgeois served in the Flemish Government as Flemish Minister for Administrative Affairs, Foreign Policy, Media and Tourism. On 22 September 2008 Geert Bourgeois was forced to resign due to pressure by the SP.a-Vl.Pro and Open VLD coalition partners because of his party's no confidence vote in the federal government of Yves Leterme and their lack of trust in further negotiations by the Regions regarding the state reform.
After the regional elections of 2009 the N-VA joined a coalition government with the Christian-democrats and socialists. Bourgeois served as Vice-Minister-President and Flemish Minister for Administrative Affairs, Local and Provincial Government, Civic Integration, Tourism and the Vlaamse Rand in the Peeters II Government (2009–14).
Bourgeois – a lifelong Flemish nationalist – also served as chairman of the Volksunie ("Peoples Union") from 2000 to 2001. After the collapse of the Volksunie in 2001 he founded the N-VA political party which he chaired until 2004. It is a separatist movement that strives for secession of Flanders from Belgium.
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