Olivier Maingain
Encyclopedia
Olivier D.A.Gh. Maingain (born 3 August 1958 in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
) is a Belgian francophone
politician and president of the Front Démocratique des Francophones (FDF), a wing of the French-speaking liberal party Reformist Movement (MR).
he qualified as a lawyer
in 1982. In 1983 he became president of the FDF Youth. He was elected as a city council
lor of Brussels
in 1988. He entered the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region in 1989 and since 1991 he has been a Member of the Chamber of Representatives. He became the president of the FDF (English
: Democratic Front of the Francophones) in 1995. In 1995 too, he became a alderman
of Brussels. He was elected as a city councillor of the town of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
(Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe in Dutch) in 2006, where the city council voted him for mayor
. In the 2007 elections Maingain received 45,439 votes in the electoral district Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
.
Among the legal measures sponsored by him are a law protecting the confidentiality of journalists' sources and the inclusion in the Belgian Constitution of the principle of the abolition of the death penalty. His efforts also led to the main square of Brussels (the Grand-Place) being placed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
He is critical of the weakness of the Belgian central government and states that the Belgian state does not sufficiently protect the rights of French-speaking Belgian citizens. He feels that supporting a Belgian federated state is "honourable" and is against the "eagerness of certain Flemish political parties to destroy the reality of Brussels". In his view the main political leaders in Flanders
show a cynical pragmatism in belittling the role of central government and building up the importance of the region of Flanders. His overly frank style of speaking and the often stigmatising tone of his arguments have caused him to be extremely unpopular in Flanders.
According to a 2009 survey of the Flemish newspaper "Het Nieuwsblad
", the best and most respected mayor of Brussels would be Olivier Maingain, scoring 7.5/10. The survey was conducted among the opposition parties in the local councils of the 19 municipalities of Brussels, which mainly consists of politicians from the VLD and the CD&V. The Flemish opposition welcomed among other things the mayor's attitude towards the Flemish population of his town.
.
In 2010 he compared the non-appointments of three French-speaking candidate-mayors by the Flemish government with practices similar to those during the "Nazi occupation" of Belgium.
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert or Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium...
) is a Belgian francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
politician and president of the Front Démocratique des Francophones (FDF), a wing of the French-speaking liberal party Reformist Movement (MR).
Biography
After graduating as Master of LawsMaster of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
he qualified as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in 1982. In 1983 he became president of the FDF Youth. He was elected as a city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
lor of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in 1988. He entered the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region in 1989 and since 1991 he has been a Member of the Chamber of Representatives. He became the president of the FDF (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Democratic Front of the Francophones) in 1995. In 1995 too, he became a alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
of Brussels. He was elected as a city councillor of the town of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert or Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium...
(Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe in Dutch) in 2006, where the city council voted him for mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
. In the 2007 elections Maingain received 45,439 votes in the electoral district Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...
.
Among the legal measures sponsored by him are a law protecting the confidentiality of journalists' sources and the inclusion in the Belgian Constitution of the principle of the abolition of the death penalty. His efforts also led to the main square of Brussels (the Grand-Place) being placed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
He is critical of the weakness of the Belgian central government and states that the Belgian state does not sufficiently protect the rights of French-speaking Belgian citizens. He feels that supporting a Belgian federated state is "honourable" and is against the "eagerness of certain Flemish political parties to destroy the reality of Brussels". In his view the main political leaders in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
show a cynical pragmatism in belittling the role of central government and building up the importance of the region of Flanders. His overly frank style of speaking and the often stigmatising tone of his arguments have caused him to be extremely unpopular in Flanders.
According to a 2009 survey of the Flemish newspaper "Het Nieuwsblad
Het Nieuwsblad
Het Nieuwsblad is a Belgian newspaper that mainly focusses on "a broad view" regarding politics, culture, economics, lifestyle, society and sports.-Mission statement:...
", the best and most respected mayor of Brussels would be Olivier Maingain, scoring 7.5/10. The survey was conducted among the opposition parties in the local councils of the 19 municipalities of Brussels, which mainly consists of politicians from the VLD and the CD&V. The Flemish opposition welcomed among other things the mayor's attitude towards the Flemish population of his town.
Controversies
In the run-up to the federal elections of 10 June 2007, he printed and distributed unilingual French election pamphlets in the unilingual Dutch-speaking town of MerchtemMerchtem
Merchtem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Brussegem and Hamme, the hamlet of Ossel and Peizegem, and Merchtem proper. On July 9, 2009 Merchtem had a total population of 15,298...
.
In 2010 he compared the non-appointments of three French-speaking candidate-mayors by the Flemish government with practices similar to those during the "Nazi occupation" of Belgium.