The political party Les Engagés has selected Yvan Verougstraete as interim leader after Maxime Prévot's appointment as Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister.
In Belgium, it is not possible for leaders of political parties to hold ministerial titles at the same time. Former leader of Les Engagés Maxime Prévot was sworn in as Foreign Affairs Minister for Belgium's new Federal Government on Monday, and Yvan Verougstraete has taken over the party until a new leader is elected.
Vergoustraete is an MEP for the Belgian centrist party, which moved from the right-wing EPP European Parliament group to the more centrist Renew group after elections last June. The former CEO of the pharmacy Medimarket, he will lead Les Engagés until internal elections in three months.
In a press release, Vergoustraete expressed admiration for Prévot's "commitment, vision and political intelligence". He also commended his party's "strong markers" in the government agreement that was almost nine months in the making.
"We made a difference," he said. "Les Engagés played a key role in this episode, and believe me, we expect to continue to make an impact in the future."
Vergoustraete added that he was honoured to lead his party, thanking Prévot for his trust and promising to members that "my ambition is clear: with you, I want to continue to grow our party!"
