The Flemish Minister of Health has resigned. Christian Democrat Wouter Beke still drew his conclusions from fatal abuses in childcare, after which the criticism no longer abated and his party continued to lose voters.
Beke was already under fire for his performance in the corona crisis, but came really close after the death of a baby in a nursery in February. That drama, which led to a criminal investigation and a parliamentary investigation into malpractice in childcare, affected Beke “more than I wanted to admit to the outside world”. As with a series of other incidents, oversight appears to have been inadequate.
The former leader of the CD&V also points to a damning poll for his party last week. It also made a “deep impression”. “To give the party oxygen”, Beke, an important CD&V face in the Flemish government, decided to leave the field.
He also addressed the press in the unexpected press conference: “Dear journalists, politicians are only people. Being treated in an inhumane way on social media is apparently ‘part of the job’, but I thought that traditional media also had a funnel function. If they don’t fulfill them, don’t be alarmed that society is polarizing.”
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