Maria Bertha Charlotte (Mieke) Vogels (born 20 April 1954)

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

from

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

in the environmentalist party

Groen! Groen (English: Green; nl, Groen, ), founded as Agalev (see Name below), is a green Flemish political party in Belgium. Its French-speaking equivalent is Ecolo; the two parties maintain close relations with each other. Party history Before 1 ...

Education

In 1978, Vogels earned a master's degree in Political and Social Sciences from the University Institution Antwerp (present ''University of Antwerp'').

Political career

* 1985 - 1995 : Member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives * 1995 - 1999 : Member of the city council of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

* 1995 - 1999 :

schepen A schepen (Dutch; . ') or échevin (French) or Schöffe (German) is a municipal officer in Belgium and formerly the Netherlands. It has been replaced by the ' in the Netherlands (a municipal executive). In modern Belgium, the ''schepen'' or ''éch ...

(

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

) of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

* 1999 : Senator of the Belgian Federal Parliament * 1999 - 2002 : Flemish minister of well-being, health and equal opportunities * 2002 - 2003 : Flemish minister of well-being, health, equal opportunities and development cooperation * 2004 - 2006 :

OCMW The Public Centre for Social Welfare is a public institution that exists in each of the 581 municipalities of Belgium. Every citizen of Belgium has the right to social assistance and social integration. The term is a translation of the (OCMW), ...

-council member (social services) in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

* 2004 - : Member of the Flemish Parliament * 2007 - : Member of the district council in Deurne * 2007 - October 2009 :

Chairwoman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the party

She quit as minister after her party

Agalev Groen (English: Green; nl, Groen, ), founded as Agalev (see Name below), is a green Flemish political party in Belgium. Its French-speaking equivalent is Ecolo; the two parties maintain close relations with each other. Party history Before ...

was heavily defeated in the federal parliament elections of May 2003. She was succeeded by her fellow party member

Adelheid Byttebier Adelheid is the modern Dutch and German form of the Old High German female given name Adalheidis, meaning "nobility" or "noble-ness". It may refer to the following people: * Saint Adelheid or Adelaide of Italy, (931–999), Holy Roman Empress an ...

. In October 2006 she was elected for the city council of Antwerp, as well as for the district council of Deurne. From 2007 on, she could only accept one of those mandates, and therefore she chose to continue in the district council. In November 2007, she was elected as chairwoman of the party

, where she succeeded

Vera Dua Vera Agnes Roger Dua (Ghent, 25 October 1952) was the Party Chair of the Flemish green party Groen! between 2003 and 2007. She graduated in 1975 as agricultural engineer and attained a PhD in agricultural science 11 years later. She has been a ...

. After the elections for the

Flemish Parliament The Flemish Parliament (Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic region and as a cultural communi ...

in June 2009, her party had to deal with another disappointing outcome. Mieke Vogels decided to give up her position as chairwoman so that a younger generation could take over the lead. She was succeeded by

Wouter Van Besien Wouter Van Besien (born 1972) is a Belgian politician. From 25 October 2009 until 15 November 2014, he was the chairman of the ecologist party Groen. Van Besien got a master's degree in Sociology at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, and obtai ...

in October 2009. Vogels continues her work as member of the Flemish Parliament till the next

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

in Belgium.

Family

Vogels is a niece of Gaston and Louis Crauwels, two missionaries in the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

who were killed during the Kongolo Massacre on New Year's Day in 1962.

Works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vogels, Mieke Groen (political party) politicians 1954 births Flemish politicians Living people University of Antwerp alumni 21st-century Belgian politicians 21st-century Belgian women politicians