Bob Savenberg, ex-drummer with Clouseau, succeeds Gwendolyn Rutten in the Flemish Parliament

Bob Savenberg, ex-drummer with Clouseau, becomes Flemish Member of Parliament. He succeeds Gwendolyn Rutten, who succeeds Bart Somers as minister. “I really want to experience that, at least until the end of the government period,” Savenberg told VRT.

Bob Savenberg has been active in Open VLD in his hometown of Dilbeek for several years as chairman of Blauw Dilbeek. At the previous elections, he succeeded Gwendolyn Rutten on the Flemish list in Flemish Brabant. Rutten succeeds Bart Somers as minister, who is exchanging his place as minister for the mayoralty in Mechelen. Savenberg, in turn, succeeds Rutten in the Flemish Parliament.

‘I will certainly follow the media in the Flemish Parliament. That is really my dada,” says Savenberg, who has also been the manager of various artists for years, such as Staf Coppens. ‘I also find Education a particularly interesting subject. I’ll have to see how I can manage it all, because I already work seven days a week.’

Comeback after farewell

After the unexpected resignation of Bart Somers, Open VLD proposed Gwendolyn Rutten as the new Flemish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior and Society. Striking, given that Rutten had only announced her retirement from national politics a few weeks ago.

She then spoke about ‘a lack of respect’ after she was passed over within her party as the new Minister of Justice by Paul Van Tigchelt. But barely three weeks later, Rutten returns to national politics and will soon even become party leader in Flemish Brabant.

“I can imagine that many people don’t understand this,” she says. ‘I was disappointed a few weeks ago and had already made plans to enter education, until I received the question from the party on Monday evening. If you want to have an impact, you have to take responsibility when asked.’