his new mandate as an MEP. He was succeeded in this role by fellow party-member Liesbeth Homans, who became the first female minister-president of Flanders. Along with the other N-VA MEPs, he joined the ECR group in the European Parliament, despite tensions between the N-VA and the Spanish far-right party Vox over the Catalan independence movement. Summary of participation in political elections Flemish Parliament 13 June 1999 – 3rd successor electoral constituency of Kortrijk-Roeselare-Tielt – VU-ID Senate 18 May 2003 – 1st place Dutch-speaking electoral college – N-VA – not elected Chamber of Representatives 18 May 2003 – 1st place electoral constituency of West Flanders – N-VA – elected – serves until 13 June 2004 Flemish Parliament 13 June 2004 – 2nd place electoral constituency of West Flanders – CD&V-N-VA – elected – Flemish Minister European Parliament 13 June 2004 – 14th place electoral constituency of Flanders – CD&V-N-VA – elected – decides not to take up his seat (He was replaced by Frieda Brepoels.) Municipal Council 8 October 2006 – Izegem – 1st place – N-VA – elected Chamber of Representatives 10 June 2007 – 16th place West Flanders – CD&V-N-VA – not elected European Parliament 7 June 2009 – 12th place electoral constituency of Flanders – N-VA – not elected Flemish Parliament 7 June 2009 – 1st place electoral constituency of West Flanders – N-VA – elected – Flemish Minister Chamber of Representatives 13 June 2010 – 1st place electoral constituency of West Flanders – N-VA – elected (45,848 preferential votes) (On 2 July 2010 it was announced that he would briefly resign from the Government of Flanders in order to formally take the oath at the Chamber of Representatives. He subsequently immediately arranged to have himself replaced in the Chamber before being sworn in again as a Flemish Minister. In the Chamber, he was succeeded by Bert Maertens who obtained 8,083 preferential votes.). Local elections (municipal and provincial council elections) of 2012 Flemish elections of 25 May 2014 (coinciding with the federal and European elections). Orders and decorations 2016: Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class, 2016. See also List of foreign ministers in 2017 List of current foreign ministers Notes References External links 1951 births 21st-century Belgian politicians Flemish activists Flemish lawyers Flemish politicians Ghent University alumni Government ministers of Flanders Living people MEPs for Belgium 2019–2024 Ministers-President of Flanders New Flemish Alliance MEPs New