Elio Di Rupo, EU's first openly gay government leader

 Iceland has Europe's  (and the world's) first openly gay or lesbian head of government, and Germany had for a time an openly gay deputy Chancellor (who is still very senior in government, as Minister of Foreign Affairs). Belgium now has the first openly gay or lesbian prime minister in the EU, and the first gay male in that position anywhere. After months of wrangling, the country has finally confirmed what has been clear for a long time. Elio di Rupo is to be formally confirmed as Belgian Prime Minister.

Elio Di Rupo, Europe’s second openly gay government leader sworn in 

 

"Elio Di Rupo has been named the new, openly gay, Prime Minister of Belgium, after the country went a year and a half without a government.

King Albert II named Di Rupo yesterday, and he will become the second openly gay head of government in Europe following Belgium’s 541-day period without a federal administration.

Di Rupo will lead a complicated coalition in Brussels which represents a population divided into the French-speaking south and Dutch-speaking north.

The 60-year-old has become the first French-speaking leader in four decades.

Leader of the country’s Socialist Party, he will work with Christian Democrats and Liberals and three other parties after forming a coalition at the weekend."

-full report at  PinkNews.co.uk

Elio Di Rupo, Belgian Politician, PM in waiting?

b. 18 July 1951

As leader of Belgium's Socialist Party, which emerged from the general election in June last year as the largest of the Francophone parties and the second-largest party overall, there was early speculation that Di Rupo might conceivably become the next Prime Minister, and with it the world's first openly gay male head of government (there is already a lesbian PM, in Iceland). This was not a foregone conclusion: there were some mutterings as to his suitability - but the interesting thing is that these had nothing to do with his sexuality, and in any case seem to have been pushed aside. His current Wikipedia entry does not even refer to his sexuality, although he is known to be openly gay. As the designated "formateur" entrusted with heading the complex negotiations over forming the next government, Di Rupo is, in effect, Belgium's next Prime Minister - and is widely described in press reports as Belgium's "Prime Minister in waiting".

Following the 2010 Belgian general election, in which the PS emerged as the largest of the Francophone parties and the second largest political party in Belgium, speculation emerged as to whether Di Rupo could be the Prime Minister in a new government. The RTBF raised questions, however, about whether Di Rupo's limited fluency in Dutch would be a stumbling block in seeking that office, since this was one of the reasons why a francophone has not held the prime minister's post since 1979. In May 2011, he was appointed Formateur by the Belgian king, which gave Di Rupo the task of forming a government. Traditionally, the Formateur will also become the Prime Minister of the government he formed

Di Rupo has been openly gay for years, and has publicly acknowledged patronising young male prostitutes. At the height of the Belgian public horror at the pedophile Marc Dutroux, and the disclosure of his abuse and murder of young girls, this appeared briefly to provoke a conservative backlash against the gay male community, but has never seriously damaged Di Rupo's political career. He has already served as "burgomaster" (mayor) of Mons, as regional Minister-President of the Walloon Region, and as national deputy prime minister.

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