Marie-Colline Leroy has been appointed Belgium's Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity on Sunday, replacing Sarah Schlitz who resigned earlier this week.
The Royal Palace confirmed in a statement that 39-year-old Leroy, who was the House Chair of the Social Affairs Committee and member of the French-speaking Green party Ecolo will be the new State Secretary for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity.
Her name for the position was put forward to the party's Federal Council by Ecolo's co-presidents Jean-Marc Nollet and Rajae Maouane as her parliamentary work already focused on equal opportunities and gender equality accepted the proposal. She will be sworn in on Tuesday.
"Fighting for social justice requires gender equality, equal opportunities and a better fight against discrimination. I have worked on employment issues, pensions, the status of artists and the self-employed. Being a feminist means fighting for equal rights in these areas," she said on Sunday.
Replacing Schlitz
Leroy will replace Schlitz, who resigned from her position on Wednesday this week after her position became untenable following revelations that she lied about using her personal logo on government-subsidised projects.
Further reporting revealed that various calls for projects launched by the Federal Government had required applicants to explicitly mention Schlitz's support on any of their future work.
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The Chamber of Representatives was set to vote on Thursday on whether she could continue in her post, but instead of awaiting this vote, she resigned one day before. Meanwhile, her cabinet has argued that Schlitz is not the first politician to have been found lying to parliament, arguing this episode is proof of a certain “double standard.”
In her position as Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity, Schlitz helped the Federal Government step up the fight against all forms of discrimination, pushed for the official banning of conversion therapy, and created a national plan to combat gender-based violence.
