The Mayor of the West Flemish coastal municipality of Knokke-Heist has announced that he is to resign. Piet De Groote (photo above) announced his resignation during Tuesday evening’s edition of the chat show ‘De Tafel van Gert’ on the commercial television channel Play4. Mr De Groote said that he will submit his resignation letter today (Wednesday) and that he is considering launching a new party for next October’s municipal elections. Mr De Groote added that “The open letter that my party published was the straw that broke the camel’s back”.
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The Mayor of Knokke-Heist announces his resignation
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The political crisis in the coastal municipality of Knokke-Heist began after the Flemish audit bureau Audit Vlaanderen published a report indicating possible conflicts of interest withing the municipal cabinet there. The Alderman responsible for town planning Kris Demeyere resigned as he was named in the Audit Vlaanderen’s report.
On Saturday, after a secret ballot of members of the ruling party on Knokke-Heist council, the local list Gemeentebelangen, it transpired that Mayor De Groote might not head of the party’s list at the next year’s municipal elections. On Monday, several newspapers published a full-page open letter from the Gemeentebelangen party. The letter denounced “fraudulent practices and a loss of standards” in Knokke-Heist. It was signed by all the party’s members with the exception of the mayor. This seemed to underline the tensions between Mr De Groote and his party.
Mr De Groote told VRT News that “The open letter explicitly stated that it was not directed towards me. However it was still the straw that broke the camel’s back. The Audit Vlaanderen report mainly concerns the period between 2012 and 2022. During most of this period I was not in office. Nevertheless, I have the impression that the party is looking for ways to present me in a bad light. The audit report concerns the management of the municipality and not me. If responsibility needs to be be taken, then it is the entire municipal cabinet that should look at itself in the mirror.
A new party?
Piet De Groote became mayor of Knokke-Heist after the death of Leopold Lippens in 2021. "No one dared to contradict him. I am a little more flexible," Mr De Groote said.
The soon to be former mayor went on to say that he wants to found a new party. "I am not going to say anything yet. I must first resign. Then I will take stock and I will make an announcement when the time is right. I am not looking for an argument. I find it unfortunate that certain members of the party are spoiling for a duel".