Resigning federal minister Philippe De Backer (Open Vld), get out of politics. That he announced at a press conference of his party. The Backer is no party leader in the elections of 26 may and will also be out the Antwerp city council steps. Then who is the federal leader in Antwerp, be decided by the party later.
Open Vld president Gwendolyn Rutten called this morning, the party office of the liberals together to make the last knots before the lijstvorming by chopping. The time was running out, because although the lijsttrekkers in a number of provinces are well-known, it was still unclear who the kopposities in Antwerp and Brussels. Rutten wants to for some time absolutely as many men as women at the top of the lists. With Bart Somers at the head of the Flemish list, it seemed that way, hard to go for Philippe De Backer, while that with the departure of N-VA from the federal government just received a promotion had been made by the secretary of state to minister.
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At the press conference after the party office said a very visible emotional The Backer, today minister of Telecommunications, Digital Agenda and Post that he is indeed the lijsttrekkerschap was offered, but that he “after a lot of time to think” a very difficult decision: “I return to my first love, science, and entrepreneurship, and I stop with politics. I will not be on the list.” The now 40-year-old De Backer pulled out in 2009 a phd degree in biotechnology at the university of Ghent.
