Bart De Wever Belgian politician Date of Birth: 21.12.1970 Country: Belgium

1. Early Life and Education
2. Early Political Career
3. Founding of the New Flemish Alliance and Early Success
4. Rising Popularity in Flanders
5. Central Figure in Post-2010 Elections

Early Life and Education

Bart De Wever was born on December 21, 1970, in Mortsel, a town located in the Flemish region of Belgium, just outside Antwerp. His father was a railway worker, while his mother was a saleswoman. Politically aligned with the Volksunie, a party supporting Flemish nationalism, De Wever grew up in an environment that fiercely defended Flemish causes. His grandfather had even been the secretary of the Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond, a far-right party during the interwar period that was the only party recognized by the Nazi occupiers during World War II. However, in an interview, De Wever downplayed his grandfather's past, claiming he had not committed any collaborationist acts.

From a young age, De Wever was involved in the Flemish National Youth Union, a movement advocating for Flemish independence. His family lived in an apartment above the organization's premises, where his parents worked as caretakers. De Wever later pursued a degree in history and secondary education at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. He also became a member of the Federatie Vlaamse Liberale Studentenverbond (Federation of Flemish Liberal Student Associations) during his university years.

Early Political Career

In 1996, De Wever was elected to the city council of Berchem, one of Antwerp's districts. He also served as an assistant professor of history at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and contributed as a researcher to the Nieuwe Encyclopedie van de Vlaamse Beweging (New Encyclopedia of the Flemish Movement). Initially, De Wever planned to pursue a PhD focusing on the postwar Flemish national movement but eventually abandoned the dissertation to fully commit to politics.

Founding of the New Flemish Alliance and Early Success

In the June 2007 parliamentary elections, De Wever ran second on the joint list of the Christian Democratic and Flemish Alliance (CD&V-N-VA) in the Antwerp electoral district, led by Ingeborg Verwaest. He was elected as a federal deputy, and the CD&V-N-VA became the largest group in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives (with 30 seats, five of which belonged to the N-VA). De Wever engaged in discussions with the Christian Democrats' leader, Yves Leterme, and other parties to form a new government. However, the negotiations stalled, and in August 2007, De Wever asserted that the ongoing discussions were not leading to any compromise, which worked in his party's favor.

In December 2007, after 192 days of delays, a caretaker government was formed (Verhofstadt III), while discussions continued between party leaders. In March 2008, the negotiations finally led to the formation of the first Leterme government, composed of five parties. The N-VA declined to participate in this government but provided it with a vote of confidence. Although still allied with the Christian Democrats, De Wever expressed regret over the lack of concrete positions on state reform: "We promised our voters that we would not enter a government if we were not assured that there would be a major state reform. We know that we will not be able to implement our entire program. But there must be progress towards regionalizing the socio-economic levers: the labor market, taxation, etc. This would also benefit Wallonia."

During this period, De Wever's firmness on the issue of state reform and defense of the Flemish community's interests resonated with many Flemings, increasing the party's electoral potential. Prime Minister Leterme proposed organizing a dialogue between the communities to advance state reform, but his strategy was deemed too conciliatory by some members of his party, both the Christian Democrats and the N-VA. In mid-August, De Wever judged the results of the negotiations on state reform reconstruction to be highly unsatisfactory. He stated that there had been no results in the negotiations, the transfer of competences was anecdotal, the funding law was only for transferring money, and the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde issue remained unresolved. On August 15, 2008, the head of government submitted his resignation to the King, but it was rejected, and Leterme remained in office. During this period, several newspapers reported that he was under police protection due to an increase in death threats from Francophone sources.

On September 21, 2008, the N-VA, gathered at a congress in Ghent, decided to break the alliance with the Christian Democrats and move into opposition. De Wever accused the Christian Democrats of breaking their political promises on state reform and making too many concessions to the Francophones: "[...] we are not going to do it again: we are keeping our promises to our voters. We had no choice but to leave the alliance with the Christian Democrats."

Rising Popularity in Flanders

In the regional elections of June 7, 2009, De Wever was elected to the Flemish Parliament with 123,155 votes, the second-best result in Flanders. The N-VA obtained 16 of the 124 seats, becoming the fifth-largest party in the Flemish Region. The party formed a three-party coalition with the Christian Democrats and the Socialists to govern the Flemish Region. Two N-VA members, Philippe Muyters and Geert Bourgeois, were appointed ministers in this government.

In 2009, De Wever appeared as a contestant on the quiz show "Slimste mens ter wereld" ("The Smartest Person in the World") on the Flemish channel VRT. The show had been a popular success with a wide audience in Flanders for many years and had been repeatedly voted the best entertainment program. De Wever participated in several episodes of the show and reached the finals. His performances further boosted his popularity, with viewers drawn to his spontaneity, wit, erudition, and quick thinking. That same year, he was voted Person of the Year in VRT's poll.

Central Figure in Post-2010 Elections

At the end of April 2010, Yves Leterme's second government collapsed over the issue of the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde electoral district. The Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open VLD), who had been awaiting the decision, left the majority on April 21, leading to snap federal elections. In the parliamentary elections of June 13, 2010, De Wever was elected senator with 785,771 votes, the best score for a Flemish politician. The N-VA, led by De Wever, became the leading party with 17.40% of the votes and 27 of the 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives. His party thus became a central factor in forming a parliamentary majority and a coalition government.

On June 17, 2010, King Albert II appointed De Wever as an "informateur," tasked with exploring how and which parties could form a coalition government. He was asked to find common ground with the Socialist Party, which had received the most votes in the south of the country, although De Wever would have preferred to negotiate with the liberals (Mouvement Réformateur and Open VLD). On June 15, De Wever stated, "I could give you a list of points in the Socialist program that I disagree with if you have a free afternoon. But it's not going to work on a simple basis: the fact that I disagree with a point doesn't mean I refuse to talk about it." In the north of the country, the Flemish parties involved in the negotiations did not favor the establishment of a Flemish republican state, contrary to the N-VA's position. However, they generally approved of the short-term reforms requested by the N-VA, such as the transfer of federal competences to the regions and communities and greater financial autonomy. De Wever and his party relied primarily on the Christian Democrats for support.

On July 8, De Wever presented his report to the King. He identified some points of convergence between the N-VA and the Socialist Party at the time but deemed them insufficient to start forming a government. The King appointed Elio Di Rupo, leader of the Francophone Socialist Party, as "pre-formateur." By the end of July, seven parties were involved in negotiations (N-VA, the Francophone Socialist Party, the Flemish Socialist Party, the Christian Democrats from both sides—Flemish and Walloon—CD&V and CDH, and the Greens from both sides—Ecolo and Groen). Meanwhile, the outgoing government led by Yves Leterme continued to manage current affairs.