Karel De Gucht
Karel Lodewijk Georgette Emmerence De Gucht (born 27 January 1954) is a Belgian politician who has been the European Commissioner for Trade since 2010. Previously, he was Belgium's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2009 and then European Commissioner for Development & Humanitarian Aid from 2009 to 2010.
De Gucht was also chairman of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (VLD), a Belgian political party, for a time. In January 2004 he was forced to step down as chairman and was temporarily replaced until after the elections of 4 June by Dirk Sterckx. The reason for his resignation was a conflict between Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and him about a proposal to give non-citizen immigrants the right to vote in municipal elections, which De Gucht opposed. The conflict severely damaged the party's reputation, as reflected in the 2004 Belgian regional elections results.
Read more about Karel De Gucht: Life and Career, Controversy
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