Edmond Leburton
Edmond Jules Isidore Leburton ( born April 18, 1915 in Lantremange, Liège Province; † 18 June 1997 Waremme ) was a Belgian socialist politician and from January 1973 to April 1974 Prime Minister of Belgium.
Education and the Second World War
Leburton graduated from 1933 to 1937 studying political and social sciences at the University of Liege. He then worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs. After the invasion of the Wehrmacht in Belgium in 1940, he was captured and joined after his escape, the resistance movement and was for some time commander of a unit of the Belgian " Résistance ".
After the end of World War II, he resumed his work in the Ministry of Social Affairs on again and in this function one of the main authors of the Belgian social security.
Political career
Member of Parliament and President
From 1946 to 1981 he was a member of the Chamber of Deputies; where he represented the Socialist Party (PSB ) for the Arrondissement of Huy- Waremme.
On 7 June 1977 he was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies. From this office he resigned on 14 November 1978.
Minister and party leader
April 23, 1954 to June 26, 1958, he was Minister of Public Health and Families in the cabinet of his Flemish party colleague Achille Van Acker. From 25 April 1961 to July 28, 1965, he was Minister for Social Welfare in the Cabinet of Théo Lefèvre. In these positions, he submitted legislation to regulate the pharmaceutical industry, to promote medical research as well as the remuneration of doctors.
He was subsequently to 19 March 1966 in the government of Pierre Harmel Deputy Prime Minister and minister responsible for the coordination of infrastructure policy.
From 1969 to 1971 he was finally Minister of Economic Affairs in the cabinet of Gaston Eyskens. In this role, he developed a law to promote economic growth, but was also exposed to the miners' strike of Campine. After his election as chairman of the PSB 1971, he resigned as Minister of Economics. At the same time he was awarded the honorary title " Minister of State ".
Prime Minister from 1973 to 1974
On January 26, 1973, he was elected to succeed Eyskens prime minister. His government, which sought to complete the reform of the Constitution and thus the formation of the regions had to go through the strikes of dock workers and students against the reform of the army, the demonstrations against abortion, the oil crisis and finally the " Ibramco affair " already on April 25, 1974 to submit their resignations. Leburton was until the appointment of Elio Di Rupo in December 2011, also the last French-speaking and Socialist Prime Minister of Belgium.