After 541 days of political crisis in Belgium, Elio Di Rupo has managed to turn into the Prime Minister of the country. His perennial red bow tie and his dress of jumper without necktie have become the main hallmark of the first Belgian homosexual president. Son of Italian immigrant, Di Rupo has obtained a breakthrough in the world of politics by himself.
At his 60 years, Elio Di Rupo has become the first Walloon Belgian government leader in nearly 40 years thanks to his good negotiating skills and his reputation as an honest politician. Although, he was immersed in a pedophilia scandal, Di Rupo went unpunished due to the lack of evidences to prove his guilt.
Political career
Despite his chemical studies and his job as teacher at the University of Leeds he was always linked to social interests. His first political mandate came in 1982, when he was Councillor of Mons. Then, he was appointed mayor of health, urban renewal and social affairs. At the same time, Di Rupo was cabinet member and then Deputy Head of Cabinet of the minister of Finance at that time in the Walloon region. Afterwards, he became Minister-President of the Wallon Region.
In the following Belgian federal election, in 2010, which the PS emerged as the largest of the Francophone parties and the second largest political party in Belgium, the speculations emerged as to whether Di Rupo could be the Prime Minister in a new government. However, the limited fluency in Dutch of Di Rupo was questioned, because it could be a stumbling block in seeking that office.
Then, Di Rupo has been given the task of forming a government. With Di Rupo’s appointment Belgium ended 541 days without a government, believed to be the longest such streak ever for a country in the developed world.
Personal life
With regard to his private life, Di Rupo announced his homosexuality in 1996 after being involved in a scandal that sought to ruin his political career. In this way, he counterattacked openly proclaiming his sexual orientation and claiming that people who wanted to sink his political career manipulated his accuser. At the outbreak of the matter a reporter asked him: “ It has been told that you are homosexual” so he answered: “Yes, so what?”. A statement that didn’t cause a stir among the Belgian Community, where the gay marriage is legal since 2004.
It is also necessary to highlight the fact that Di Rupo comes from a humble Italian immigrant family, which had to move to Belgium to earn one’s living. Thus, he was the only one of his brothers and sisters who was born in Belgium. When he was one year old his father died in a road accident, so his mother had to take care of seven children on her own. This is one of the reasons why the Belgian people support him, Elio Di Rupo has become Prime Minister because of his own achievement.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.