Paul Emile Francois Henri Vanden Boeynants

March 22, 1919 (age 81)

Forest / Vorst, Brussels, Belgium

He served as the 41st Prime Minister of Belgium for two brief periods (1966-1968 and 1978-1979). Active as a businessman in the meat industry, he was a Representative for the Christian Social Party-Christelijke Volkspartij (Christian People's Party) between 1949 and 1979. From 1961 to 1966 he led the Christian democrat Christian Social Party-Christelijke Volkspartij (Christian People's Party) (which was in those days a single party). He led the CEPIC, its conservative fraction. Vanden Boeynants served as minister for the middle class (1958-1961). In 1966, he became Prime Minister of Belgium. He stayed in this post for two years. From 1972-1979 he served as minister of defense. In 1978–1979 he led another Belgian government. Vanden Boeynants then served as chairman of the Christian Social Party (1979-1981). He left politics in 1995, and died of pneumonia after undergoing cardiovascular surgery in 2001. One of his famous words, in a unique mixture of Dutch and French: Trop is te veel en te veel is trop. ("too many is too much and too much is too many"). Convicted in 1986 for fraud and tax evasion, Vanden Boeynants escaped jail but was sentenced to three years" probation. This prevented him from pursuing mayoral aspirations in Brussels. He underwent a political rehabilitation during the early 1990s. Three days later, the criminals published a note in the leading Brussels newspaper Le Soir, demanding 30 million Belgian francs in ransom. Vanden Boeynants was released (physically unharmed) a month later, on 13 February, when an undisclosed ransom was paid to the perpetrators. North. R. Doctorate. P.

Paul Emile Francois Henri Vanden Boeynants Edit Profile

entrepreneur politician prime minister

Background

Vanden Boeynants (called "VDB" by journalists) was born in Forest / Vorst, a municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region.

Career

He served as the 41st Prime Minister of Belgium for two brief periods (1966-1968 and 1978-1979). Active as a businessman in the meat industry, he was a Representative for the Christian Social Party-Christelijke Volkspartij (Christian People's Party) between 1949 and 1979. From 1961 to 1966 he led the Christian democrat Christian Social Party-Christelijke Volkspartij (Christian People's Party) (which was in those days a single party).

He led the CEPIC, its conservative fraction.

Vanden Boeynants served as minister for the middle class (1958-1961). In 1966, he became Prime Minister of Belgium.

He stayed in this post for two years. From 1972-1979 he served as minister of defense.

In 1978–1979 he led another Belgian government.

Vanden Boeynants then served as chairman of the Christian Social Party (1979-1981). He left politics in 1995, and died of pneumonia after undergoing cardiovascular surgery in 2001. One of his famous words, in a unique mixture of Dutch and French: Trop is te veel en te veel is trop.

("too many is too much and too much is too many").

Convicted in 1986 for fraud and tax evasion, Vanden Boeynants escaped jail but was sentenced to three years" probation. This prevented him from pursuing mayoral aspirations in Brussels.

He underwent a political rehabilitation during the early 1990s. Three days later, the criminals published a note in the leading Brussels newspaper Le Soir, demanding 30 million Belgian francs in ransom.

Vanden Boeynants was released (physically unharmed) a month later, on 13 February, when an undisclosed ransom was paid to the perpetrators.

North. R. Doctorate. P.

Membership

In a bizarre incident that is still the subject of dispute, Vanden Boeynants was kidnapped on 14 January 1989 by members of the Haemers criminal gang. Patrick Haemers, the head of the gang, later committed suicide in prison, whereas two members of his gang managed to escape from the Street-Gillis Prison in 1993.

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