Patrick Dewael

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Patrick Dewael (born 13 October 1955) in Lier, Belgium is a liberal Belgian politician. He is a member of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats, or Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten (VLD). He is the nephew of the late liberal minister Herman Vanderpoorten and the cousin of Marleen Vanderpoorten who also served as Flemish minister of Education in the government lead by Dewael.

[edit] Political career

He was first elected to the Belgian Parliament in 1985. From 1985 to 1992 Dewael served as Flemish minister of Culture in the governments lead by Gaston Geens (II, III and IV). After the defeat of the liberals at the 1992 elections, Dewael served as an opposition MP until the liberals regained power in 1999.

He was Minister-President of the regional government of Flanders from 1999 to 2003. After the Federal elections of 2003, Dewael resigned as Minister-President in order to serve as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior in the Belgian Federal government lead by Guy Verhofstadt.

When Turkish terrorist Fehriye Erdal was sentenced to 4 year imprisonment by a Bruges court on February 28, 2006, it turned out that she had shaken off the Belgian secret service, which had the responsibility of following her since February 23, 2006 (Erdal had been on house arrest since 2000). Both the Minister of Justice, Laurette Onkelinx and the Minister of the Interior, Patrick Dewael have come under fire for this incident, and will have to report to the Belgian Parliament.

[edit] Private life

Patrick Dewael lives in Tongeren, a town of which he is also the mayor.

Patrick Dewael is married to Marleen Van Doren with whom he has three children. On August 24, 2005 Dewael released a press communiqué in which he announced he was leaving his wife in order to pursue his amorous affair with VRT journalist Greet Op de Beeck.