Homans Government

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Homans Government

Cabinet of Flanders
Incumbent
Date formed2 July 2019
Date dissolved2 October 2019
People and organisations
Head of statePhilippe of Belgium
Head of governmentLiesbeth Homans
No. of ministers8
Member party  N-VA
  CD&V
  Open Vld
Status in legislatureCoalition
History
PredecessorBourgeois
SuccessorJambon
Parliamentary majority

The Homans Government (Regering-Homans) was the interim Flemish Government formed and sworn in on 2 July 2019, following the departure of Flemish Minister-President Geert Bourgeois who took up his seat in the European Parliament following the 2019 European Parliament election in Belgium. It was replaced by the Jambon Government on 2 October 2019.

With Bourgeois leaving and no new coalition agreement yet having been found following the 2019 Belgian regional elections, the interim Homans government was formed as a continuation of the Bourgeois Government, consisting of the same centre-right coalition of the nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Christian Democratic and Flemish party (CD&V) and the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open Vld), but now led by Liesbeth Homans, who became the first female minister-president of Flanders.

The cabinet had a small majority in the Flemish Parliament as they dropped from 89 to 70 seats since the previous election, needing 63 for a majority. The main opposition parties were far-right Vlaams Belang (VB), the Green party and the Socialist Party (sp.a).

On 30 September 2019, the three parties announced that they had come to a new coalition agreement to form a new government which would start governing from 2 October 2019, thereby replacing the interim Homans Government.

Composition

The Homans Government consisted of eight ministers, which was one less than the previous government as the N-VA has shifted the various functions over one less minister. Homans took over the role of minister-president from Geert Bourgeois and Ben Weyts became the new vice minister-president, taking over Bourgeois' ministerial duties of Foreign Policy and Immovable Heritage on top of his duties as Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works, the Brussels Periphery, Tourism and Animal Welfare.

The coalition was a continuation of the Bourgeois Government, consisting of the   N-VA (35 seats),   CD&V (19 seats) and   Open Vld (16 seats).

Flemish Government - Homans 2019 (Jul-Oct)
Party Name Function
N-VA Liesbeth Homans Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Public Governance, Civic Integration, Housing, Equal Opportunities and Poverty Reduction
CD&V Hilde Crevits Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Education
Open Vld Sven Gatz (until July 18, 2019) Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Media, Culture, Youth and Brussels
Open Vld Lydia Peeters (from July 18, 2019) Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Finance, Budget, Energy, Media, Culture and Youth
N-VA Ben Weyts Vice minister-president of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works, the Brussels Periphery, Tourism, Animal Welfare, Foreign Policy and Immovable Heritage
CD&V Jo Vandeurzen Flemish Minister for Welfare, Public Health and Family
Open Vld Lydia Peeters (until July 18, 2019) Flemish Minister for Finance, Budget and Energy
Open Vld Sven Gatz (from July 18, 2019) Flemish Minister for Brussels
N-VA Philippe Muyters Flemish Minister for Work, Economy, Innovation, Scientific Policy and Sport
CD&V Koen Van den Heuvel Flemish Minister for Town and Country Planning, Environment and Nature

Changes

  • On 18 July 2019 the new government of the Brussels-Capital Region was sworn in, including Sven Gatz. As a result, Gatz' duties in the Flemish government were reduced and shifted to Lydia Peeters. Peeters became vice-minister president for Open Vld and took over the functions of Flemish Minister for Media, Culture and Youth, leaving Gatz only with the Brussels portfolio.