Vincent Van Quickenborne
Vincent Van Quickenborne ( born August 1, 1973 in Ghent) is a Belgian politician of the Flemish liberals Open en Democraten (Open VLD). Van Quickenborne held from 2003 an office in the federal government (with a brief exception for the transitional government Verhofstadt III) and was up to October 18, 2012 Pension minister in the government Di Rupo. At the local level, he is mayor of Kortrijk.
Life
Vincent Van Quickenborne, or simply Q and Quick, as he calls himself, studied law at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven ( KULeuven ), 1996 and was employed as a lawyer. Before entering politics, he was in the "White committees" active, wanted to bring about forcing the civic initiatives in the mid- 1990s after the Dutroux affair a reform of the police force and the judiciary.
Political career
After Van Quick Borne was first joined as a student political organizations of various kinds (including Amada, the predecessor of the party PvdA), he finally joined the Bert Anciaux (now sp.a ) founded the left - liberal movement ID21. In 1999 formed ID21 with the Flemish nationalist Volksunie a common list for the federal elections under the name of " VU & ID". Van Quickenborne stood for election and managed at the age of 26 years, the jump in the Senate. There he could be quite fast and media attention to make a name for himself by legislative proposals in terms of " corporate governance " stored or active beiwirkte attempting to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon before the Belgian courts for his role in the massacre of Sabra and Shatila on crimes against to sue humanity, and the former Lebanese Prime Minister Elie Hobeika met, shortly before it was killed under mysterious circumstances.
After the Volksunie fell apart two years later, Vincent Van Quickenborne decided first for the party spirit ( later renamed Vl.Pro and finally as a SLP in the party Groen! Risen ). However, since quite quickly turned out, the Spirit with the socialist sp.a wanted to form an alliance, Van Quickenborne finally decided for the VLD (now Open VLD ).
After the federal elections of 2003 Van Quick Borne was then appointed Secretary of State for administrative simplification in the federal government Verhofstadt II under Guy Verhofstadt (Open VLD). In the later federal governments Yves Leterme and Herman Van Rompuy (both CD & V ), in which he held this portfolio, Van Quickenborne also rose then Minister of Economics.
In 2009, he supported the previously politically unknown Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) as " running mate " in his campaign for presidency of the party. As De Croo on 22 April 2010 made the decision due failed negotiations around the constituency of Brussels -Halle- Vilvoorde (BHV ) from the government Leterme withdraw II and thus caused the premature end of the government and new elections, supported him Van Quickenborne despite his ministerial office in the government continue.
In Belgium, Van Quick Borne is also known primarily for his " unorthodox " way. Q Senator had announced, for example, in his first election, that if he would make the jump to the senate, he would " only once smoke a joint " there (which he did not in the end ). Van Quick Borne is also an avowed friend of modern technologies. So possessed and he used a hacked iPhone, as this was not available on the Belgian market. He was also one of the first politicians of Belgium, which led his own blog and introduced themselves in social networks. Again, Q fell on when he published on Twitter photographs from the Council of Ministers and provided them with comments, which met with Prime Minister Yves Leterme (CD & V) with little understanding.
Honors
Vincent Van Quickenborne was awarded the Commander of the Order of Leopold II.