Rupert van Bleiswijk
Rupert van Bleiswijk | |
|---|---|
 Van Bleiswijk in 2021 | |
| Premier of Hennehouwe | |
| Assumed office 5 October 2017 | |
| Deputy | Eva Kaestel |
| Preceded by | Michiel Hagan |
| Minister of Economic Affairs | |
| In office 5 May 2011 – 19 November 2014 | |
| Prime Minister | Dieter Schalenbourg |
| Preceded by | Evelien de Reuver |
| Succeeded by | Sander Swan |
| Leader of the Socialist Labour Party | |
| Assumed office 1 June 2015 | |
| Deputy | Katrijn Pauwels |
| Preceded by | Katrijn Pauwels (Acting) |
| Member of the Flamish Assembly for Zuid-Flamen | |
| In office 28 April 2006 – 3 September 2010 | |
| Member of the Second Chamber for Flamia | |
| Assumed office 3 September 2010 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rupert Claude van Bleiswijk December 19, 1973 Oudkesselstad, Hennehouwe |
| Citizenship | Hennehouwe |
| Political party | Socialist Labour Party |
| Spouse | Jacoliene Fleurke (m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Leeuwenbrug |
Rupert Claude van Bleiswijk (born 19 December 1973) is a Hennish politician who has served as Premier of Hennehouwe since October 2017 and as Leader of the Socialist Labour Party since June 2015. He has been a Member of the Second Chamber since 2010, and has also served as Minister of Economic Affairs from 2011 to 2014, and as Member of the Flamish Assembly from 2006 to 2010.
Van Bleiswijk was born in Oudkesselstad, Oudkessel-Witburg and grew up in a bilingual Hennish- and Gaullican-speaking family. His father, originally from Flamia, was a trade unionist and municipal council member for the Socialist Labour Party (SAP), while his Petois mother was a teacher. He studied economics and political science at the University of Leeuwenbrug, and later interned at the Euclean Parliament in Kesselbourg. After graduating, van Bleiswijk began working for a public relations firm and later a political advisory group. He joined the SAP in 2004 and went on to run in the Flamish regional election in 2006, where he was elected into public office for the first time. He was elected to the Second Chamber as a representative for the region of Flamia following the 2010 federal election, and later entered cabinet after being appointed Minister of Economic Affairs in 2011. Following the SAP's defeat in the 2014 election, van Bleiswijk announced his intention to run for the party's leadership. On 1 June 2015, he was elected leader of the party, narrowly defeating acting leader Katrijn Pauwels who he later appointed as his deputy.
At the 2017 federal election, under van Bleiswijk's leadership, the SAP returned as the largest party. He led negotations on government formation which confirmed a minority grand coaliton between the Socialist Labour Party and the Progressive Democratic Party, with support from the Party for the Petois and the Agrarian–Farmer's Party. Subsequently, he was invested as Premier on 5 October 2017.
Van Bleiswijk is a self-described social democrat, and has been observed as being comparatively more moderate than some of his party predecessors and Euclean counterparts. He is also noted for his conciliatory and consensus-building leadership style.