Conner Rousseau resigns as chairman of Vooruit. After his racist statements on a drunken night in Sint-Niklaas, the pressure from outside had become too great. ‘It’s too much about me, and no longer about what Vooruit is fighting for.’
On Thursday, the Socialists still seemed to hope that the storm would blow over quickly. But a day later, Vooruit had to continue beheaded. Chairman Conner Rousseau threw in the towel just before the weekend itself. At a press conference he only spoke. Visibly emotional, he read out two A4 sheets he had written himself.
The message: I have to make room. He pointed out that under his chairmanship, Vooruit unexpectedly had the ear of the voter again. “After a witch hunt on my private life and a very ugly, serious mistake I made, the situation has changed. The fuss about my person distracts from the essence. It is too much about me,” said Rousseau, who will immediately step down as chairman.
It is remarkable that most in the party did not actually ask for this. No one was pleased with the details about the racist statements, which came out earlier this week. But internally, a large part of Vooruit felt that Rousseau had already taken responsibility for this. A few weeks ago he had already informed the party office about the events. Rousseau then received a big blow, but the party’s confidence remained intact.
Even at the party office on Friday evening, most had asked to stay on – Rousseau himself had decided that he would leave, and had only consulted a limited circle of party toppers. “It was a very emotional meeting. Many people have emphasized what a great significance he has had for the party. He has really put together a team,” said an insider.
But Rousseau realized that the severity of the precise statements meant a political death sentence for a socialist president. To the police he called a group of Roma “brown men” whom the officers could best hit with their matrak. A punk with a mohawk – an “ugly fat bastard” – also deserved the ban, according to Rousseau. After which he finally recommended the sexual services of a girlfriend to the officers.
The public prosecutor’s office sent Rousseau to the Dossin barracks and imposed a series of sessions with the therapist on the party chairman. This made the socialist only the second politician to be sent to Kazerne Dossin, after Dries Van Langenhove. Deadly for the perception at Vooruit.
Rousseau prepared his party for the elections as the challenger to Vlaams Belang. Vooruit had to become the alternative to the racist and extreme right-wing VB. But it is Rousseau himself who has to go to the therapist for racist and violent statements about Roma. That realization would undoubtedly haunt him in the coming months.
After many months full bad press For Vooruit and Rousseau, the racist and sexist statements were the final straw. The chairman realized that the incessant atmosphere of scandal was beginning to weigh on the party. “I appeal to the people who have dropped out because of me: come back. I make space.”
Conner-effect
The big question: what now? Conner Rousseau inherited a moribund party from predecessor John Crombez. In the 2019 elections, the then sp.a barely reached 10 percent – an electoral low. As the face of Crombez’s rejuvenation operation, Rousseau, not yet 27 years old, had to save the party from destruction.
Judging from the polls, the Sint-Niklazen resident succeeded wonderfully. Vooruit has been stable at around 16 percent for some time now. The ‘Conner effect’ worked, but it also made the party vulnerable: its success depended largely on one person. When he came into disrepute due to complaints about alleged sexually inappropriate behavior – all complaints were dismissed – the party leadership realized that a fall of Rousseau would also mean the fall of the party.
Now the time has come. Six months before the elections, Vooruit is without its golden boy and without an obvious successor. There is no one in the new generation of socialists who comes even close to Rousseau in terms of political appeal. According to persistent rumors, faction leader Melissa Depraetere – another product of the rejuvenation operation – would take over ad interim. Although it is very questionable whether she has the right profile to guide Vooruit through a very nervous election battle.
On Saturday at 11 a.m., Vooruit will hold a press conference with more information about what to do next. Rousseau himself will certainly take some time to sort everything out. He did not want to say anything about his political future – he would be played as party leader in East Flanders in the elections. “I gave it my best shot, I made a mistake, and I take responsibility for that.” The party office has asked him not to disappear and to help ensure that the work of recent years has not been in vain.
“As far as I am concerned, Conner must and will play an important role,” said Minister Caroline Gennez. “The party office has an incredible amount of respect for what Conner has done. But at a certain point you make a decision about which collectivity takes precedence.”
For the socialists it is a very bitter pill. It remains to be seen with trembling how many potential voters will drop out after this episode. Many at Vooruit already saw their party as one of the big winners in the elections. That calculation also played a role in the list formation. In this way, Bruno Tobback was pushed to Europe, where Vooruit could grab one or even two extra seats. But no one can predict how Vooruit will score without the Conner effect.
