Omer Rudolphe Jean, Viscount Vanaudenhove (3 December 1913 – 26 November 1994) was a Belgian liberal

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 ...

, mayor and minister. A businessman, Vanaudenhove was an owner of a shoe factory. He was burgomaster of Diest (1947–1955 and 1974–1976), liberal senator (1954–1974), president of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a l ...

(1961) and president and founder of the PVV-PLP (1961–1969). In the new party programme of the PVV-PLP, the traditional

anticlericalism Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historical anti-clericalism has mainly been opposed to the influence of Roman Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, which seeks to ...

of the liberal party was renounced. This new organization achieved success at the parliamentary elections of 1965 and gained 48 seats (compared to the 20 gained in 1961). Vanaudenhove was a proponent of a unitary Belgium and a unitarian PVV-PLP, but the tendency towards a federal state became unstoppable by the end of the sixties. Vanaudenhove was minister of public work and rebuilding between 1955–1958 and 1958–1961.

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60 jaar bevrijding van de kampen: een selectie uit de archieven van liberale voormannen
(Dutch)

1913 births 1994 deaths People from Diest Flemish politicians Belgian Ministers of State Viscounts of Belgium Sachsenhausen concentration camp survivors {{Belgium-mayor-stub

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