Five local Vlaams Belang politics step up: « What happened here, defies every imagination » (politics)

Chantal Nagels, list director in Leopoldsburg and provincial councilor, announced her departure from Vlaams Belang on Saturday afternoon. With her also leaving municipal councilor Daisy Vandenplas from Leopoldsburg and councilors Mike Corneillie and Wendy Hill from Beringen the party. « We will continue to sit on the city council and the provincial council, but then as independent, » the four emphasize. « We are not discarded, we opt for a new road ourselves. Because we refuse to submit even longer to a party culture where women are systematically suppressed. But we continue to commit ourselves to the people and so we reserve our mandate. »

Intimidated

« The hatred of us women only got bigger, » nails sharply as a reason for their decision. « We are sabotaged, intimidated and even on election day, voters were asked not to vote for us. »

The list trainer also immediately went into the defense against earlier statements by party leader Ronald Peeters that she and Vandenplas appropriate posts without consultation. Nagels: « Completely nonsense. If he can prove that, I eat my shoes. »

We no longer want to submit to a party culture that systematically suppresses women

Chantal Nails (ex-Flemish Interest)

city ​​councilor and provincial councilor

According to Chantal Nagels, it was Net Peeters himself who rewarded himself with two paid commission costs and was put out of play as a list trailer. « From September last year, as chairman, I was completely pushed aside. Without consultation, a pure handle of power. »

Harassment

According to the female municipal councilors, the break goes back to the composition of the national ski lists. « We were then selected, the men not. And with that it all started, » says Nagels. « And that escalated during the campaign. From harassment to defamation and even sexist statements to the polling station. »

If they don’t want to commit voters, they give their mandate back to the party

Annick Ponthier (Vlaams Belang)

Member of Parliament and Provincial Chairman

An attempted mediation by MP and provincial chairman Annick Ponthier (Vlaams Belang) at the end of last year turned out to be nothing. « The men got the posts. We, the workers, were ignored. That was the final blow. »

Permanently

Larissa Claesen, the youngest woman on the list for the municipal elections in Leopoldsburg but not elected, also publicly says goodbye to the party and politics. « What I have experienced in the past period has been deeply disappointed. I don’t want to be part of something like that. What happened in Leopoldsburg defies every imagination. And the reactions of some board members on social media were shocking. »

New chairman

« If they don’t want to commit voters, they give their mandates back to the party, » says Annick Ponthier, provincial chairman of Vlaams Belang. « It is regrettable that they immediately let them know that they will continue to sit anyway. While they have been elected on a list of Vlaams Belang. »

The reproaches are not new, Ponthier says: « The same statements have been repeated for months, we have refuted them all, but that is not listened to. I do not want to comment on those small, personal comments. Last week we appointed a new chairman in the department. He wants to rebuild and bring stability in the department. We have good hope in it. »

And those comments from sexism? « Complete nonsense. Chantal Nagels was even a leader for the city council and the provincial council. »