Two former journalists represent N-VA in Senate

N-VA surprised everyone last Saturday with an announcement that Jan Becaus (pictured) would represent them in the Senate. Becaus was a widely respected news anchor for the public broadcaster VRT, known for his professionalism and neutrality, until he resigned last year at the age of 65.

Becaus’ impeccable Oxford pronunciation of English was imitated in comedy programmes and made him somewhat of a cult hero in the later years of his career, with several tribute Facebook pages.

Since his retirement, Becaus has been in correspondence, he said, with N-VA president Bart De Wever. He applied for the senatorial function by letter. “I have retired now, but that does not place me outside of society. I can and want to contribute to the social debate,” he said.

The other senator appointed was less of a surprise: Pol Van Den Driessche, former editor of Het Nieuwsblad and journalist at the weekly magazine Dag Allemaal, previously served as a senator for CD&V. In spite of a good personal result, he was not elected to the federal parliament.

In 2012, Van Den Driessche was set to become mayor of Bruges for N-VA, but he withdrew his candidacy after allegations of sexual intimidation. He continued to work for the party as a media advisor. 

Due to the sixth state reform, the new Senate will function as a meeting place for representatives of Belgium’s regions and communities. Fifty of its members are delegates from the regions’ and communities’ parliaments, 10 are “co-opted” by the parties, according to their electoral results.

Another surprise appointment is that of Anne-Laure Mouligeaux as a French-speaking spokesperson for N-VA. The party has always had a troublesome relationship with the francophone press; with Mouligeaux, Flanders’ largest party hopes to improve its media relations with the south of Belgium.