Patrick Dewael says goodbye to national politics: “I will only keep half of my exit compensation”

After the elections of June 9, Patrick Dewael will leave national politics. He forfeits half of the 507,000 euros exit compensation to which he is entitled, he says in ‘Het Belang van Limburg’.

The federal elections of June 9 will be Patrick Dewael’s last trick at national level. The former Minister of the Interior will push the Open VLD list before the House in Limburg, but will subsequently leave politics.

In an interview with The Importance of Limburg says 68-year-old Dewael that he wants to “give a new generation a chance”. The liberal list will be drawn in Limburg by current Flemish MP and state senator Steven Coenegrachts.

When he retires, Dewael will have been a Member of Parliament for more than 14,000 days. He was also Speaker of the House for the first sixteen months of this legislature. In the past, Dewael was a Flemish minister, Flemish prime minister and federal deputy prime minister.

Dewael’s long service record entitles him to an exit payment of 48 months, or 507,000 euros gross. In The Importance of Limburg he indicates that he will “on his own initiative” comply with how the scheme was reformed in 2014. The maximum compensation was capped at 24 months.

Yet it will not be the last time that Dewael will present himself to the voter. He will take part in the municipal elections in Tongeren on October 13, 2024. He has been mayor there since 1995. Dewael remains unclear for the time being whether he is still a candidate for that position. In consultation with cartel partner CD&V, it was decided to first wait for the national elections.