Hugo Coveliers | |
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| Senator | |
| In office 2003 – June 2011 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1947-02-21)21 February 1947 (age 78) Schelle, Belgium |
| Political party | Volksunie (1985–1993) Open VLD (1993–2005) VLOTT (2005–2012) |
| Residence | Antwerp |
| Website | www.coveliers.be |
Hugo F.V. Coveliers (born 21 February 1947) is a retiredBelgianpolitician andlawyer. He was a member of theBelgian Chamber of People's Representatives between 1985 and 1995, and from 1993 to 2003. Since 2003, he has been a member of theBelgian Senate.[1] He was a parliamentary chairman for theVLD in both chambers, from 1999 to 2003.[2]
Coveliers was born inSchelle, Flemish Community, Belgium, on 21 February 1947.[3] As a student he came into contact with the Flemish Movement. Coveliers became a member of the Young Flemish Student Community and at theUniversity of Ghent he was a member of theVlaams-Nationale Studentenunie for two years. From his period in the humanities he was involved in the youth section of thePeople's Union (Volksunie), a Flemish nationalist party, of which he was the chairman from 1974 to 1976. He was also a municipal councilor of Antwerp from 1974 to 1976. From 1976 to 1979, he was chairman of the Volksunie section of the Antwerp district.[4] He later changed to theFlemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD) in 1992,[5] together with some other frustrated party members. Within the VLD, he was part of theconservative wing, and he was open to the idea of working with theVlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) and its precursorVlaams Blok (Flemish Bloc), something the VLD's leadership did not support.
In 2004, Coveliers was co-founder of theAntwerp section of the conservative-libertarian organizationNova Civitas and became inspired and influenced by Dutch politicianPim Fortuyn. At that time he also feuded openly with VLD party chairmanKarel De Gucht.[6] This resulted in Coveliers being ejected from the party on 8 February 2005, and starting his own political partyVLOTT in the fall of 2005, based on Fortuyn's ideas. This party is willing to work together with theVlaams Belang (VB) and formed a cartel with it for the Antwerp city elections in October 2006.
After the dismissal ofJean-Marie Dedecker from the VLD, Coveliers, Dedecker andBoudewijn Bouckaert (and otherNova Civitas members) started negotiations to form a new right-wing liberal party. Coveliers and members of VLOTT formed a cartel with VB, therefore appearing on VB's lists in the2007 general election.
Coveliers withdrew from active politics early 2012.[7][8]
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