Ministers and party leaders of the Vivaldi government on Friday wrote on from Abdesalem Lassoued had asked. Prime Minister De Croo (Open Vld) will convene the core cabinet tomorrow, he reports.
LOOK. Tom Ongena about Van Quickenborne’s dismissal: “He has taken his political responsibility”
“A serious mistake by a magistrate has cost the lives of two innocent citizens. All respect for Vincent Van Quickenborne for taking his political responsibility without hesitation. He can rightly be proud of the work he has done as Minister of Justice,” he said Open VLD chairman Tom Ongena on the resignation of his minister.
Prime Minister Alexander De Croo says he has respect “for his political courage”. The core cabinet will meet tomorrow, “in the presence of Annelies Verlinden (Minister of the Interior, ed.) with the Attorney General of Brussels and the interim Commissioner General of the Federal Police to provide complete clarity,” it said.
Also Forward chairman Conner Rousseau praises Van Quickenborne’s step. “It is to Vincent Van Quickenborne’s credit that he takes responsibility, without any personal fault. That is courageous and rare in politics these days,” said Rousseau, who speaks of “an unacceptable hamlet of justice with very serious consequences.”
Conner Rousseau
@conner_rousseau
PS Deputy Prime Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne also pays tribute to Van Quickenborne, who “takes his political responsibility with dignity at a difficult moment”. “We certainly did not always agree, but today the government unfortunately loses one of its strongholds.
Green Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter thanks Van Quickenborne for “the good, many years of cooperation”. Justice “loses a driven captain and the government loses a strong deputy prime minister,” writes De Sutter.
“Vincent Van Quickenborne’s decision to resign due to a major error within the judiciary deserves respect,” he said Vooruit Deputy Prime Minister Frank Vandenbroucke. “Vincent played an important role in the government as a minister who consistently put reforms in the justice system on the agenda, but also as a bridge builder in many difficult dossiers. His decision is correct and courageous, but I will miss him.”
State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor (CD&V) also expresses its “respect” for Van Quickenborne’s decision “after the error by the Ministry of Justice”. “We have always worked well together, I wish Vincent all the best,” said De Moor. The State Secretary herself was criticized this week after the attack in Schaarbeek because of her deportation policy. After all, the perpetrator of the attack in Schaerbeek turned out to be residing in our country illegally. Opposition party Vlaams Belang repeated its demand for De Moor’s resignation on Friday evening.
Nicole de Moor
@Nicole_demoor
The resignation of Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne is the “only logical step”, he said chairman Tom van Grieken of opposition party Vlaams Belang. “It is clear that many crucial mistakes were made that made the attack possible. The failure of the Belgian state has cost lives. More importantly, as long as the course is not drastically changed, this could happen again. The dismissal of Van Quickenborne does not eliminate that threat,” says Van Grieken.
LOOK. Van Quickenborne resigned as Minister of Justice earlier this evening
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