Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist N-VA) has fulfilled his ambition and has been installed as Belgium’s federal prime minister at the head of a 5-way coalition government. After 12 years in the job as Mayor of Antwerp Mr De Wever has handed over to Els Van Doesburg (Flemish nationalist N-VA). Aged 35, she is the youngest mayor of Flanders’ largest city since the creation of Belgium, the first Dutch person to hold the job and only the third woman. She continues the coalition with the Flemish socialists of Vooruit.
Ms Van Doesburg first became municipal councillor in Antwerp after the 2018 local elections and succeeded Fons Duchateau (N-VA) as alderwoman or member of Antwerp’s city cabinet in 2021. As of Monday night, she is the new Mayor of Antwerp. Life has moved fast for Els van Doesburg During Monday’s city council meeting, she took the oath of office in the presence of Bart De Wever (VIDEO).
So, who is the youngest Antwerp mayor since the founding of Belgium in 1830?
35-year-old Els van Doesburg was born in the Netherlands, making her the first Dutch person to don the Antwerp mayor's sash. For the first 10 years of her life, Ms Van Doesburg grew up in Soest, near the Dutch town of Utrecht.
Later she moved to Schilde (Antwerp Province) together with her parents and two younger brothers as her parents owned a chocolate factory in Breda (The Netherlands), not far from the Belgian border. In Belgium, she attended school in Westmalle (Antwerp Province) and later studied political sciences at Antwerp University. After her studies, she stayed on in the city.
From councillor to alderwoman
In the 2018 local elections, Ms Van Doesburg landed a seat in the N-VA (Flemish nationalist) group on Antwerp city council. Before that, for several years, she had been working as a parliamentary assistant with her party's group in the federal parliament in Brussels. It was here she met and fell in love with her partner: the current president of the chamber of representatives, the lower house of the Belgian parliament, Peter De Roover (N-VA). They are expecting their first child soon.
In 2021, Fons Duchateau (N-VA) decided to step down as alderman to oversee the merger between the city’s hospital groups ZNA and GZA. The then 31-year-old Van Doesburg got the support of 83 per cent of her local party members and was appointed as Mr Duchateau's successor.
As alderman for housing, city and neighbourhood maintenance, green spaces, animal welfare, health and seniors’ care, she soon made a name for herself in the metropolis of Antwerp. She did so partly through her involvement in the big hospital merger on 1 July 2024. Ms Van Doesburg also hit the headlines on several occasions in the debate about whether or not to privatise the Antwerp Care Company.
As alderman responsible for city and neighbourhood maintenance, she regularly castigated fly-tippers, who ‘assume that the gnomes will come and clean up their waste’.
Big vote winner
During the municipal elections of 13 October 2024, Els van Doesburg polled 13,045 votes across Antwerp. This put her well behind Mayor Bart De Wever in the ranking of preferential votes. He polled 59,309 preferential votes, but Ms Van Doesburg picked up more votes than anybody else from her party. In Antwerp only Bart De Wever and Jos D'Haese (Communist PVDA) polled more preferential votes in the city.
When Bart De Wever became Belgian prime minister, Els van Doesburg seemed the logical successor for the mayor’s post at city hall. Koen Kennis (N-VA) took on the role of acting mayor for several weeks, but on Monday night Ms Van Doesburg officially took the oath as ‘Mother of the City’ of Antwerp. She is only the 3rd woman ever to hold that position. Two socialist politicians Mathilde Schroyens and Leona Detiège earlier held this post.
Nathalie van Baren (N-VA), who has served on the municipal council since 2019, replaces Ms Van Doesburg as alderman for social affairs and seniors’ care in the new administration that took office after October’s local elections. In addition to the mayoralty Ms Van Doesburg will be responsible for health care and she also remains president of the ZAS hospital group. Alderman and party colleague Ken Casier takes over city and neighbourhood maintenance.