Zuhal Demir
Zuhal Demir | |
|---|---|
Chamber of Representatives | |
| In office 20 July 2010 – 24 February 2017 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 March 1980 Genk, Limburg, Belgium |
| Citizenship | Belgium[1] |
| Political party | New Flemish Alliance |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | www |
Zuhal Demir (born 2 March 1980) is a Belgian lawyer and politician affiliated to the
Biography
Demir was born in
She is married to Flemish businessman Jeroen Overmeer who was previously a municipal councilor for the N-VA. They have a daughter born in 2017.[8]
Political career
Demir was elected to the Chamber of Representatives during the 2010 Belgian federal election for the N-VA on the Antwerp constituency list.
From January 2013 until the end of 2015, she was the mayor of the district of Antwerp. In early 2016, she resigned from the position after moving back to Genk following the birth of her first child.
In February 2017, she succeeded Elke Sleurs as Secretary of State for Poverty Reduction, Equal Opportunities, People with Disabilities, Urban Policy and Scientific Policy.[9] She has also chaired the Flemish government's integration strategy.[10]
Demir has been given the nickname 'Iron Lady', partly because demir is the Turkish word for iron, and partly due to her advocacy for limiting the duration of unemployment benefits to encourage people back to work.[10]
In 2015 she caused minor controversy for doing a photoshoot for the erotic magazine P-Magazine in parliament.[11]
During the 2019 Belgian regional elections she headed the N-VA's list in the Limburg region for the Flemish Parliament. She was elected and later appointed by Flemish minister Jan Jambon to serve as minister for Tourism and the Environment.[12]
Beliefs and political work
Demir supports compulsory learning of Dutch for people of immigrant backgrounds, stating that her parents spoke limited Dutch when arriving in Belgium but learning the language helped them to become part of Flemish society. She argues "language is the basis for integration.” She has also argued the current Belgian model of social integration has deteriorated. She has also voiced opposition to Belgian politicians of Turkish descent performing military service in Turkey, arguing that it implies split loyalties and is a potential security risk, and believes politicians in ministerial posts should not hold multiple citizenships.[13] She has described herself as "100 percent Flemish with Kurdish roots.".[14]
In 2016, she participated in the television documentary Back to their own country with other well-known Belgian politicians and celebrities in which the group travelled with journalist Martin Heylen to conflict areas and follows the refugee route to Europe. Following her participation, she urged Europe to persuade Syrians not to come and for tougher action against human traffickers. She argued "The refugees are received in inhumane conditions, I would also leave in their place. Only, I am concerned about the preservation of our social security system. What are we going to do with all those newcomers when there are already so many unemployed people who do speak Dutch?” She has argued that refugees are better supported in their own region as opposed to coming to Belgium where she states there are limited employment and integration structures.[5]
In 2017, she was accused by the Turkish press of supporting terrorism and of being a member of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).[15][16][17]
Demir has received death threats as a result of her opposition to Turkey's treatment of its
Orders and decorations
- 2019: Commander of the Order of Leopold II.
Notes
- ^ "Belgian Kurd minister renounces Turkish citizenship". Kurdistan 24. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
- ^ "Chamber of Representatives: cv Zuhal Demir (Dutch)".
- ^ a b "Ledenmagazine" (PDF). n-va.be (in Dutch). June 2010. p. 5.
- ^ "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on 18 June 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
- ^ a b "Life after Leuven: lawyer and member of parliament Zuhal Demir". 17 November 2020.
- ^ "Over Zuhal". zuhaldemir.be.
- ^ "Privacy settings". www.demorgen.be (in Dutch). 20 November 2018. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ "Zuhal Demir bevallen van dochtertje". De Standaard. 9 December 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- ^ "Press service of Zuhal Demir, State secretary for Combating Poverty, for Equal Opportunities, for Disabled People and for Science Policy, in charge of Larger Towns, attached to the Minister of Security and Home Affairs | Presscenter.org". www.presscenter.org. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ a b c "Zuhal Demir named new secretary of state for equal opportunities | Flanders Today". www.flanderstoday.eu. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ N-VA-Kamerlid Zuhal Demir poseert voor P-Magazine: "Historisch"; De Morgen; 26 februari 2015
- ^ "Peumans kwaad over Limburgse N-VA-lijst". De Standaard. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- ^ "Zuhal Demir: "Some of our politicians even do their military service in Turkey. Isn't that incredible?"". 17 November 2019.
- ^ "Life after Leuven: lawyer and member of parliament Zuhal Demir". 19 November 2020.
- ^ "Zuhal Demir ciblée par la presse turque: "accusations subversives", rétorque Charles Michel". RTBF Info (in French). 20 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ "Charles Michel défend énergiquement Zuhal Demir". L'Echo (in French). 21 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ Libre.be, La. "Charles Michel défend Zuhal Demir, attaquée par la presse turque". www.lalibre.be (in French). Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ "Man (37) krijgt 400 euro boete voor bedreigen Zuhal Demir via Facebook". Gazet van Antwerpen (in Flemish). 6 December 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- ^ "Verkiezingsborden Zuhal Demir plastered with Turkish slogans and symbol Grey Wolves: But I will not be intimidated News".
- ^ "Vlaams minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) krijgt verhoogd politietoezicht na mail met bedreigingen in het Turks". 17 November 2020.
External links
Media related to Zuhal Demir at Wikimedia Commons
