Yves Leterme
Yves Leterme | |
---|---|
Party Leader of Christian Democratic and Flemish | |
In office 2003–2004 | |
Preceded by | Stefaan De Clerck |
Succeeded by | Jo Vandeurzen |
Personal details | |
Born | Yves Camille Désiré Leterme 6 October 1960 Catholic University of Leuven Ghent University |
Yves Camille Désiré Leterme (Dutch:
Leterme was the prime minister from March 2008 to December 2008. He has been the minister of Foreign Affairs, deputy prime minister and minister of Budget, Institutional Reforms, Transport and the
On 14 July 2008, facing the imminent failure to meet a self-imposed deadline to enact "constitutional reform" consisting of further devolution of powers to the nation's three linguistic communities, Leterme tendered his resignation to King Albert II. On 17 July, King Albert, after holding a flurry of consultations with leaders of political parties, labour unions, and the employers' association, rejected Leterme's resignation. Instead, the King appointed a three-person commission of representatives of the linguistic communities to investigate how to restart the reform process. The commission was to report to the King by 31 July 2008.[1]
On 19 December 2008 he offered his resignation to King Albert II after a crisis surrounding the sale of
On 22 April 2010 he once again offered his resignation to King Albert II after a key Flemish party, the
Early life
Yves Leterme was born on 6 October 1960 in the city of
Career
Before entering national politics, Leterme served as an auditor at the country's
He was appointed to the
In the elections held on 10 June 2007, Leterme received 796,521 personal votes, leading his party to a landslide victory. This was the second highest number of personal votes ever in Belgium's national elections. On 21 December 2007, he became Vice-Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister of Budget, Transport, Institutional Reform and the North Sea. On 23 March, Leterme received confidence of the chamber as Prime Minister.
Controversies
Many French-speaking journalists have taken offence at Leterme's political opinions on the widely supported demand in Flanders for more regional autonomy. They consistently decry him for making what they say are provocative or erroneous statements.
During an interview with the French newspaper Libération in August 2006, Leterme, who is bilingual with a French-speaking father (and having a French name), made a remark about the overall failure and refusal of French-speaking inhabitants to learn and use Dutch in certain municipalities, more specifically in municipalities with language facilities.
Initially, the idea was that many French speakers would adjust to the new linguistic reality. But apparently the French speakers are intellectually not capable of learning Dutch.[8][9]
Most prominent Francophone politicians such as Elio Di Rupo[10] and Isabelle Durant along with some Flemish politicians such as Pascal Smet and Guy Vanhengel[11] objected to this remark. In the Flemish daily De Standaard of 28 August Leterme explained his words: "I am allowed to ask myself the question whether the lack of knowledge of Dutch is a matter of not wanting or not being able to."[12]
A news report produced by the Belgian Francophone television company RTBF alleged that Leterme said in the Flemish parliament: "I don't need the King".[13][14] According to Flemish newspapers, this sentence was taken out of context, because Leterme was talking about the creation of Flemish statutes (decrees): legislation approved by the Flemish parliament, unlike federal legislation, does not need the king's signature to become law. The Flemish Minister-President signs the decrees himself.[15]
On one occasion, Leterme quipped that the only things common to all Belgians are "the King, the football team, some beers...".
Leterme caused controversy again in a December 2007 interview with the Concentra newspapers by denouncing the RTBF for having its own political agenda, being a propagandist for CDH politician Joëlle Milquet and being a relic of the past. Leterme further compared the broadcaster to Radio Mille Collines, which was a Rwandan propaganda outlet against the Tutsis during the Rwandan genocide, though he later mentioned he had only quoted what was said in political circles.[20]
2007 general elections
On 6 May 2007, he officially launched his candidacy for the general election on 10 June 2007, leading his party's list of candidates.[21] On election day, he received about 800,000 preferential votes, the second largest number of votes ever gained in the history of Belgian elections. This was one of the greatest monster tallies in recent Belgian history (the previous comparable score was obtained by Leo Tindemans).
Based on this personal tally, on the successful tally of his party, and on the general election tallies which saw progress for most parties making the strongest demands for greater Flemish autonomy, such as CD&V,
2007–2008 political stalemate
Yves Leterme was the favourite to become the next
On 29 September, Herman Van Rompuy, "explorer" in the coalition seeking process, presented his final report to the King. Later that day, King Albert II again appointed Leterme as formateur.[24] On 7 November, his party took the initiative and got the Flemish representatives to vote on the most crucial aspect of the negotiations, the splitting of the electoral region of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, a measure strongly opposed by the Francophone community.
Leterme again offered his resignation to the King on 1 December, after coalition talks failed to reach an agreement on several issues.[25]
An interim government under Guy Verhofstadt was sworn in on 21 December 2007. In it, Leterme became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Budget, Institutional Reform, and Transport. He was anticipated to become Prime Minister in a new government in March 2008.[26]
Belgium's political uncertainty further deepened when Yves Leterme was hospitalised on 14 February 2008.[27][28] Rumours that he was suffering from hepatitis were formally denied by a spokesman,[29][30] and it was later disclosed that he had suffered internal bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract. His duties as Minister for Budget and Institutional Reform were temporarily taken over by Jo Vandeurzen (CD&V), the Minister for Justice.[31]
Prime Minister of Belgium, first premiership
On 18 March 2008, an agreement between five parties on the formation of the new government was announced.[32] Leterme was sworn in as Prime Minister on 20 March,[33] and his government was approved by the Chamber of Representatives on 22 March, with 97 votes in favour, 48 against, and one abstaining.[34]
For Leterme, priority issues were still further devolution of power to Belgium's regions, which would require amending the national constitution, and resolving dissatisfaction with the administrative status of the districts of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde. He set a deadline of 15 July 2008 to accomplish these goals. The deadline was not met. On 15 July 2008, King Albert II issued a communiqué that Leterme had offered his resignation to the king, and that the king was reserving his decision on whether to accept the resignation.[35] The next day, the king held consultations with the leaders of political parties, the employers' association, and trades unions. By the end of the day, it was still not resolved whether Leterme would actually be departing from the prime ministership.[36] Leterme declared, "It appears that the [language] communities' conflicting visions of how to give a new equilibrium to our state have become incompatible . . . state reform remains essential".[37]
Fortis and fall of government
Along with his counterparts in the
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Second Premiership
With 17 July 2009 government reshuffle, Leterme succeeded
In complicated negotiations regarding the bilingual electoral unit
Post-premiership
After
Leterme still supported his party in the October 2012 municipal elections. He was the main candidate for the CD&V/N-VA list in Ypres, which maintained its absolute majority. During the election he said "Honesty commands me to tell you I cannot become mayor right away because I must honour my earlier commitment to the OECD." And so after winning the election, Leterme remained active at international level, and third runner up in the party, Jan Durnez became mayor of Ypres instead.
In 2014, Leterme became secretary-general of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA). On 7 March 2016 he announced his definitive departure from political life as he did not see himself able to combine it anymore with his international career. He has since taken on a number of paid and unpaid positions:
- Volkswagen, Member of the Sustainability Council (since 2016)[40]
- Kofi Annan Foundation, Vice-Chair of the Commission on Elections and Democracy in the Digital Age (since 2018)[41]
In 2019, Leterme became co-chairman of the board of directors of the Chinese investment fund ToJoy, alongside the former
Foreign relations
Lebanon
On 29 November 2008,
Vietnam
Leterme started a two-day visit to
Private life and hobbies
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2011) |
Leterme is known to be very fond of goats. He breeds goats in his private time in the small farm where he lives. In November 2010 the Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad had some more news about Yves' favourite animals: two of his favourite goats, named Trudy and Vicky, were to appear in a play by the local theatre society of Ypres. The play is called 'Island of the goats'. In an interview Yves called goats "The poor man's cow."[47]
References
- ^ "BBC News, 17 July 2008". BBC News. 17 July 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ "Belgium Prime Minister offers resignation over banking deal". CNN.com.
- ^ (in French) Yvesleterme.be Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, King accepts government resignation
- ^ "Leterme nieuwe premier van België" (in Dutch).[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Belgian coalition government crumbles as PM resigns". english.rfi.fr. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ Rettman, Andrew (14 September 2011). "Belgian officials play down crisis, as caretaker PM opts to go". Retrieved 14 September 2011.
- ^ "Vlaanderen is nu officieel schuldenvrij" (in Dutch). Vrtnieuws.net. 30 December 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "D'un Etat unitaire à un Etat fédéral" (in French). Libération. 18 August 2006. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
- ^ "French speakers 'incapable' of learning Dutch language". Expatica. 17 August 2006. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
- ^ "Leterme se lâche" dans Libération" (in French). Archived from the original on 16 January 2007.
- ^ "Bruxellois flamands pas d'accord". La Libre Belgique (in French). 18 August 2006.
- ^ Auteur: Bart Brinckman (30 April 2009). "De Standaard, 22-08-2006". Standaard.be. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ "Top Belgian politician dismisses Belgium as "accident of history"". Openeurope.org.uk. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ "Leterme: Pas besoin du Roi" (in French). La Dernière Heure. 23 August 2006.
- ^ "Citaat Leterme over koning uit context gehaald" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
- ^ Time to call it a day, The Economist, 6 September 2007
- ^ "Do we need a history lesson?". VRT Nieuws. 22 July 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
- ^ "Belgian leader makes anthem gaffe". BBC News. 23 July 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
- ^ "De lijdensweg van de regering-Leterme" (in Dutch). VRT web site deredactie.be. 19 December 2008. Retrieved 29 August 2011. "Op 21 juli, de nationale feestdag, giet Leterme dan nog eens ongewild olie op het vuur door de Marseillaise te zingen in plaats van de Brabançonne".
- ^ "Yves Leterme gaat in dialoog met de RTBF". VRT Nieuws. 12 August 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2007.
- ^ "Belgians vote in legislative elections". Newstime7.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ Philip Blenkinsop, Flanders chief set to lead next Belgian government, Reuters, 10 June 2007.
- ^ "Leterme to lead coalition talks". VRT Nieuws. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
- ^ "Koning benoemt Leterme opnieuw als formateur" (in Dutch). Vrtnieuws.net. 29 September 2007. Retrieved 29 September 2007.
- ^ "Belgium's PM hopeful gives up efforts to form government". Agence France-Presse. 1 December 2007. Archived from the original on 4 December 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2007.
- ^ "Belgium's interim government sworn-in". Xinhuanet.com. 21 December 2007. Archived from the original on 12 January 2009.
- ^ "Leterme hospitalisé à Louvain" (in French). Le Soir. 14 February 2008. Archived from the original on 17 February 2008. Retrieved 14 February 2008.
- ^ "Belgian candidate prime minister Leterme in hospital with undisclosed ailment". International Herald Tribune. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 14 February 2008.
- ^ "Nog geen uitsluitsel over toestand Leterme" (in Dutch). De Standaard Online. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 14 February 2008.
- ^ "Leterme in het ziekenhuis met hepatitis" (in Dutch). De Morgen. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 14 February 2008.
- Deredactie.be. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 14 February 2008.[dead link]
- ^ Castle, Stephen (18 March 2008). "Belgium reaches deal on new government". International Herald Tribune.
- ^ "La Belgique se dote d'un gouvernement après 9 mois de crise" (in French). AFP. 20 March 2008.
- ^ Hayden, Jones (23 March 2008). "Belgium's New Government Wins Confidence Vote in Parliament". Bloomberg.com.
- ^ "Belgique: le premier ministre a remis sa démission au roi, qui réserve sa réponse, 15 July 2008". Le Monde. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ "(Brussels), Albert II, retour à la case Leterme?". Lesoir.be. 16 July 2008. Archived from the original on 9 August 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ "Belgian PM offers his resignation, 15 July 2008". BBC News. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- VRT. 19 December 2008. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
- ^ Belgium ends record-breaking government-free run. CNN, 6 December 2011.
- ^ Volkswagen Group appoints international Sustainability Council Archived 2 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine Volkswagen, press release of 28 September 2016.
- ^ Kofi Annan Commission on Elections and Democracy in the Digital Age Kofi Annan Foundation.
- ^ "Een nieuwe job voor Yves Leterme" (in Dutch). De Standaard. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Ook invloedrijke mensen als Yves Leterme tonen hoe vatbaar we zijn voor Chinese invloed". Knack. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Nowlebanon.com". Nowlebanon.com. 29 November 2008. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ "Daylife.com". Daylife.com. 11 August 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ "Last.fm". Last.fm. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ "Geiten van Yves Leterme spelen mee in toneelvoors... (Ieper) - Het Nieuwsblad". Het Nieuwsblad.
External links
- (in Dutch) Official website
- (in Dutch) cdenv/yves-leterme cdenv.be
- Personal facebook page