Pablo R. SuanzesBrussels Correspondent

Brussels Correspondent

Updated Tuesday, January 30, 2024-02:40

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In mid-December,

Belgian police arrested a man named Mekki Vanhaelen

. When his bosses were informed, they not only hired a lawyer, but also searched his premises. The surprise was great when they found

50 bags of cocaine

. When the authorities were notified, they seized more than 10,000 euros in cash at his home. The defendant's girlfriend's employers then also fired her, citing a lack of trust.

The news would not have much coverage if it were not for three details. The first, that Vanhaelen is the son of Fadila Laanan,

a well-known socialist politician

, member of the Brussels Parliament and former minister in the region. The second, that the alleged trafficker worked in the cabinet of Caroline Désir, a party colleague and minister of the French-speaking community. And the third, that the bride was part of the cabinet of Frédéric Daerden, another socialist who is now vice president and minister in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. All in family. And specifically, in the political family.

The list is endless.

The famous Qatargate affected Italian and local socialists

. One of her figures, the now MEP Maria Arena, has been barely saved by her connections. But her son, Ugo Lemaire, was arrested and they found 280,000 euros in cash on him.

Lemaire is the son of Arena's ex-husband and now the partner of the Federal Government's Foreign Minister. Another example. Not so long ago, the King's attorney brought a drug trafficking case against Sami Guenned, a descendant of Laurette Onkelinx. He's sure you've guessed it by now. She is a member of the Socialist Party, daughter of another regional figure, and granddaughter of Maurice Onkelinx, a former mayor who

was deprived of civil rights when it was proven that he collaborated with the Nazis

.

Jérémie Tojerow (Cévipol researcher, and ironies of life, also a member of the Socialist Party), together with the political scientist Jean-Benoît Pilet, has prepared the Crisp File, a complete investigation on political dynasties in Belgium. The idea arose from the fact that the last two federal governments have been led by two sons, Charles Michel and Alexander De Croo.

The authors wanted to quantify something that is always taken for granted, nepotism

. Result? "Political dynasties have returned today to their level of the late 19th century," the authors conclude.

Between 1831 and 1894, the proportion of heirs in Parliament increased almost constantly, reaching a high of 17% in 1888. From 1894 until the first election by true universal male suffrage, in 1919, it stagnated at 9%. With suffrage,

the ratio remained between 4% and 6% for decades

, but 2003 marked a turning point when the percentage of sons and daughters increased to 15.3%. «Of 150 deputies, the Chamber then had 23 sons and daughters of, a record number only equaled in 1888", write Tojerow and Pilet, cited by Le Soir. And «

during the three following elections this proportion always remained at 13% on average

." At the regional level, except in the German zone, 10% of deputies follow in the footsteps of their parents. There are elections in June and October, a guaranteed spectacle in the paradise of nepo babies.