Bart Somers unexpectedly announced yesterday that he would resign as Flemish Minister of the Interior, Administrative Affairs, Integration and Equal Opportunities. He is taking up his job again as mayor of Mechelen.
During the day it was heard that the succession was between Senate President Stephanie D’Hose and Flemish Member of Parliament Gwendolyn Rutten. The choice fell on the latter.
The decision by the party leadership and Rutten himself is striking. Last month she was mentioned as a contender to succeed Vincent Van Quickenborne as federal Minister of Justice. The job eventually went to Paul Van Tigchelt, after which Rutten announced that he no longer wanted to stand for election on a national list. In a long post on social media, she wrote that she felt treated disrespectfully.
‘Rutten, the right woman in the right place’
Tom Ongena, chairman of Open Vld, confirmed on Tuesday evening at an Open Vld press conference that Gwendolyn Rutten will succeed Bart Somers. “She is the right person in the right place,” she said. Moreover, Rutten is “the right woman in the right place”, according to Ongena. She will take the oath in the Flemish Parliament on Wednesday and will immediately get to work.
“I think everyone feels: things can change in life,” said Rutten. “If you would have told me a few days ago that I would be sitting here, I wouldn’t have believed it. Life and politics are unpredictable. I was disappointed a few weeks ago. I thought I could no longer have an impact in politics.”
In the meantime, Rutten had made plans to start teaching. “I wanted to go into education, in addition to my job as mayor. Then I could have an impact on society in a different way.” These plans changed when she received the phone call Monday evening to become a minister. But “that’s life,” says the new minister. She wants to have an impact, and this new post fits that perfectly.
“I’m going for it now. There are still 200 days to go before elections. Even one day in politics can make a big difference. Imagine what is still possible in 200 days,” says Rutten.
Rutten reacted strongly last month after the appointment of Van Tighelt as Minister of Justice. She found the way in which the party had not informed her “disrespectful”. “I was disappointed,” she says now. “Maybe I reacted too strongly. As politicians, we are only human beings with emotions. We are in a business of collaboration. If everyone continues to camp on their own position, you will get nowhere. At some point you sometimes have to get over your anger. I appreciate the way we discussed this with the party leadership.”
Rutten further understands the criticism of her appointment. “I can completely understand why people think I shouldn’t have returned, or that I should never have gotten so angry in the first place. They may feel comfortable with that, but now I take my responsibility.”
When asked why Open Vld did not opt for a new face, as Somers had expressly indicated, Rutten answered succinctly: “I am not an innovation. They didn’t ask me for that, but for my expertise.”
