In the recent federal parliament elections, 73 out of 150 representatives did not win re-election. This includes two unelected Ecolo ministers, Marie-Colline Leroy and Georges Gilkinet, who are entitled to 12.4 million euros in exit compensation. The Flemish Parliament also has 54 non-re-elected parliamentarians who will receive a total of 7.7 million euros in stop premiums.
According to calculations by De Tijd, the House and the Flemish Parliament are required to pay up to 20 million euros in compensation to these ex-parliamentarians. However, this amount was even higher in 2019, coming close to 22 million euros. In order to ensure that these ex-parliamentarians do not lose their income immediately, they will continue to receive their salary for a period of time. The regulations of the House are generally more generous than those of the Flemish Parliament. Furthermore, MPs with many years of service are subject to an exceptional regime, as a more favorable regime was in place before 2014 and those rights are still valid.
It’s worth noting that while some MPs may choose not to apply for any compensation at all, others like Patrick Dewael and Servais Verherstraeten have stated that they will only apply for a portion of their compensation. It’s important for these ex-parliamentarians to understand their options carefully and make informed decisions about how best to proceed with their exit from office.
