"Oranjehofgroep" (which would go on to become the bedrock of the N-VA) along with people such as Frieda Brepoels, Eric Defoort, Ben Weyts and Bart De Wever. The Oranjehofgroup was a group of Flemish nationalist Volksunie members who opposed the direction in which the party was being taken by Anciaux. The group derived its name from a Ghent hospitality business where the members would meet. The antagonisms between Bourgeois' Flemish Nationalist wing which wanted the VU to pursue a conservative, independent Flemish Nationalist direction, and the wing helmed by Bert Anciaux, who was looking to merge the Volksunie with its progressive programme with another political party, eventually resulted in the break-up of the VU. In a referendum for the general membership, the Bourgeois group, with just under 50% of the votes cast, came out victorious against the two other groups participating, headed up by Bert Anciaux and Johan Sauwens respectively. Since at least 50% of the votes had to be gained to earn the right to continue under the Volksunie name, Bourgeois and his supporters set up a new party in November 2001: the New Flemish Alliance (Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie N-VA). From 2001 until 2004, Bourgeois served as the first party chairman of the N-VA which engaged in fierce opposition against the "purple" coalition government. In his book entitled De puinhoop van Paars-groen (The Shambles of Purple-Green), he heaped scathing criticism on the Belgian government that had been in power from 1999 to 2002. The title of the book was a reference to Pim Fortuyn's De puinhopen van acht jaar Paars which criticized the Dutch purple coalitions. In May 2003, Bourgeois was re-elected into the federal Chamber of Representatives as the only N-VA candidate; he held his seat until 2004. In the third direct Flemish elections held on 13 June 2004, he was elected in the electoral constituency of West Flanders. He remained a Member of the Flemish Parliament for over one month until he joined the Government of Flanders on 22 July 2004; he was succeeded as Member of the Flemish Parliament by Jan Loones. He was succeeded as N-VA party chairman by Bart De Wever when he took up office in July 2004 as Flemish Minister for Public Governance, Foreign Policy, Media and Tourism in the Leterme I Government. On 22 September 2008, he tendered his resignation as a serving Minister in the Government of Flanders, in the wake