Antoinette Spaak
Antoinette Spaak | |
|---|---|
| President of the Democratic Front of Francophones | |
| In office 1977–1982 | |
| Preceded by | Léon Defosset |
| Succeeded by | Lucien Outers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 June 1928 MR (2002–2009) |
Antoinette Spaak (27 June 1928 – 28 August 2020) was a
Reformist Movement (Mouvement Réformateur, MR) in 2002. Spaak held various political offices in Belgium and the European Communities
until retiring from politics in 2009.
Early life
Spaak was born in the
chef de cabinet.[4]
Political career
Spaak entered politics after her father's death in 1972 within the regionalist
1974 elections and became president of the FDF in 1977, becoming the first woman in Belgian history to lead a political party.[3] She retained the FDF leadership until 1982 and presided over much of the party's greatest electoral success in the 1970s, when regionalist sentiment in Brussels was at its height.[2][3] She presided over the Council of the French Community from 1988 to 1992.[3] An advocate of European integration, she was voted into the European Parliament in its first direct elections from 1979 to 1984 and again from 1994 to 1999. She was granted the honorary title of Minister of State in 1983.[3]
As the FDF's electoral fortunes declined in the 1980s, Spaak played a leading role alongside
2007 elections at the bottom of the list and was not elected. However, she was elected to the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region in 2009 but resigned after less than a year.[2] The coalition of interests within the MR collapsed in 2011 amid a dispute on the linguistic status of the region dubbed Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, and the FDF seceded, rebranding as DéFI in 2016.[3]
Death
Spaak died at her home in Brussels, Belgium, on 28 August 2020, aged 92. Sophie Wilmès, the incumbent prime minister and MR member, described Spaak on Twitter as a "grande dame".[5] L'Echo said in its obituary that Spaak had "epitomised a certain idea of feminism, of francophone struggle, and European engagement" during her political career but noted that she had never held a ministerial portfolio.[3]
Books
- Van de Woestyne, Francis (2016). Antoinette Spaak: Entretiens avec Francis Van de Woestyne. Brussels: Racine. ISBN 978-2873869847.
References
- ^ "Pioneering female politician Antoinette Spaak dies at 92". The Brussels Times. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ a b c "Antoinette Spaak, figure du FDF, est décédée à l'âge de 92 ans". Le Soir (in French). 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Antoinette Spaak, première femme présidente de parti belge, est décédée". L'Echo (in French). 29 August 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
- ^ Laporte, Christian (8 December 2016). "Antoinette Spaak se confie librement sur ses grands combats". La Libre Belgique (in French). Retrieved 29 August 2020.
- ^ "Antoinette Spaak overleden". De Tijd (in Dutch). 29 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
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