Elio Di Rupo facts for kids
Elio Di Rupo (born 18 July 1951) is a Belgian politician. He has been the Minister-President of Wallonia since 2019. He belongs to the Socialist Party.
Di Rupo was also the Prime Minister of Belgium from December 2011 to October 2014. He led the government during that time. He was the first French-speaking Prime Minister since 1979 and the first socialist Prime Minister since 1974. He was also Belgium's first Prime Minister who was not born in Belgium.
Quick facts for kids
Elio Di Rupo
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Prime Minister of Belgium | |
| In office 6 December 2011 – 11 October 2014 |
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| Monarch | Albert II Philippe |
| Preceded by | Yves Leterme |
| Succeeded by | Charles Michel |
| Minister-President of Wallonia | |
| In office 13 September 2019 – 15 July 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Willy Borsus |
| Succeeded by | Adrien Dolimont |
| In office 6 October 2005 – 20 July 2007 |
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| Preceded by | André Antoine |
| Succeeded by | Rudy Demotte |
| In office 15 July 1999 – 4 April 2000 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Collignon |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe |
| Leader of the Socialist Party | |
| In office 22 November 2014 – 21 October 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Paul Magnette |
| Succeeded by | Paul Magnette |
| In office 16 September 1999 – 6 December 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Philippe Busquin |
| Succeeded by | Thierry Giet |
| Mayor of Mons | |
| In office 8 October 2000 – 3 December 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Maurice Lafosse |
| Succeeded by | Nicolas Martin |
| Member of the European Parliament for Belgium |
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| Assumed office 16 July 2024 |
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| Constituency | French-speaking electoral college |
| In office 1989–1994 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 July 1951 Morlanwelz, Belgium |
| Political party | Socialist Party |
| Alma mater | University of Mons-Hainaut University of Leeds |
| Signature |  |
Contents
Early Life and Education
Elio Di Rupo was born in Morlanwelz, Wallonia, Belgium. His parents were from Italy. His father passed away in a car accident when Elio was only one year old. His mother had seven children and found it hard to raise them all. Because of this, three of his brothers grew up in an orphanage nearby.
When he was 12, Di Rupo went to boarding school. He had some health issues that made him repeat his first year of high school twice. However, he later did very well in science. This led him to study chemistry at the University of Mons. He earned a PhD in Chemistry. He also worked as a part-time lecturer at University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.
Political Journey
Di Rupo first became interested in politics during his studies in Mons. He started his political career working for Jean-Maurice Dehousse in 1980. His first official role was as a Councillor in Mons in 1982. He served in this role until 1985, and again from 1988 to 2000.
In 1986, he became the mayor in charge of health, city improvements, and social matters in Mons. He also worked for the Walloon region's finance minister.
National and European Roles
Di Rupo gained national recognition in politics in 1987. He was elected as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives. Two years later, he briefly served in the European Parliament.
In 1991, Di Rupo was chosen as a senator. Soon after, in 1992, he took on his first ministerial job in the French-speaking community, focusing on Education and Media. He held these roles until 1994. Then, he joined the federal government as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Traffic and Public Companies.
After the 1995 elections, he remained Deputy Prime Minister. He was also appointed Minister of Economics and Telecommunications.
Leading the Socialist Party
In 2000, Di Rupo became the mayor of Mons, which is the capital of the province of Hainaut.
After the elections in June 1999, Di Rupo helped form a new government. He became the Minister-President of the Walloon region. However, in October of the same year, his party chose him as their president. In April 2000, Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe took over as Minister-President.
As the new party president, Di Rupo worked to bring new leaders into the Socialist Party. The party had lost many votes in previous elections due to various challenges. Di Rupo aimed to rebuild trust and support for the party. He introduced new plans, like the "Contract for the Future of Wallonia." These efforts were successful. In the 2003 elections, the Socialist Party regained its strong position. It became the most important political party in Belgium.
In 2004, Di Rupo changed the coalition partners in the Walloon Government. In October 2005, he became Minister-President of Wallonia. This happened after Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe resigned due to difficulties involving some party members. Di Rupo continued to lead the party and worked to address issues within it.
In 2006 and 2007, Di Rupo and his party faced challenges in improving public trust. This may have contributed to the party losing its top spot among French community parties in the 2007 federal election. Di Rupo then took strong action to address issues in Charleroi. He took control of the city's Socialist Party and asked the Socialist mayor and aldermen to resign.
In July 2007, Di Rupo was re-elected as president of the Socialist Party with a large majority of votes. He then resigned from his role as Minister-President of Wallonia to focus on leading the party.
Becoming Prime Minister
After the 2010 Belgian general election, the Socialist Party became the largest French-speaking party in Belgium. There was discussion about whether Di Rupo could become the next Prime Minister. Some wondered if his Dutch language skills would be a problem, as most prime ministers since 1979 had been Dutch-speaking.
In May 2011, King Albert II asked Di Rupo to form a new government. This role is called a "Formateur." Usually, the person who forms the government also becomes the Prime Minister. Di Rupo became Prime Minister of the Di Rupo I Government on 6 December 2011.
With Di Rupo's appointment, Belgium ended a long period of 589 days without a full government. This was one of the longest such periods for a developed country.
Personal Life
Di Rupo describes himself as an atheist, a rationalist, and a Freemason. He speaks Italian, French, and English very well. After becoming Prime Minister, he took Dutch lessons. His Dutch improved enough for him to speak in parliament and give TV interviews in the language.
Honours
- Belgium: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II
- Belgium: Commander of the Order of Leopold
- Italy: Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
See also
- In Spanish: Elio Di Rupo para niños
