Vooruit chairman's personal brand manager on parliament payroll
The personal brand manager of Conner Rousseau, chairman of Vooruit, is on the payroll of the federal parliament, according to a report by Gazet van Antwerpen.
The man in question, Jordy Van Overmeire, is not described as a political or administrative aide but is responsible for Rousseau’s personal marketing. According to internal documents obtained by the newspaper, Van Overmeire is formally employed as a full-time secretary to Vooruit parliamentary group leader Oskar Seuntjens. He has held the position since 1 February 2026.
Anyone working for parliament must hold a valid diploma, but once hired, it is up to the parliamentary group or the member of parliament to determine the employee’s tasks.
Parliamentary rules and party responsibilities
Because Van Overmeire is employed by the Vooruit parliamentary group, the speaker's office declined to comment on the arrangement. Peter De Roover (N-VA), speaker of the Chamber of Representatives, said personnel decisions fall under the responsibility of the parliamentary group itself. Only if serious problems arise could the parliamentary ethics committee intervene.
Seuntjens defended the way the party organises its staff. Asked about the situation, he said Vooruit aims to work efficiently by pooling parliamentary employees.
“It’s common knowledge that we pool our parliamentary staff and bring them together in our research department and our communications department. That’s much easier than when each member of parliament manages their own staff.”
He confirmed that Van Overmeire works at the party’s headquarters but said the parliamentary group can also make use of his expertise.
Criticism from political scientist
The practice has drawn criticism from political scientist Carl Devos of Ghent University. During his traditional opening lecture in 2023, Devos already warned that parliamentary staff sometimes end up working in party communications departments. Rousseau was present at the event.
At the time, the Vooruit chairman responded: “A parliamentary staff member isn't there to plug in your printer or bake pancakes. A parliamentary staff member is there to do parliamentary, substantive, and political work.”
Devos reiterated his concerns about the arrangement. “Van Overmeire should be in charge of his own party. Not parliament,” he said. “It may be permissible, but that doesn’t mean it’s right. This simply isn’t right. If Rousseau himself were a member of Parliament, this might be defensible. But that’s not the case: Rousseau is a member of the Flemish Parliament.”
Calls for stricter rules
Devos argues that the situation highlights the need for clearer rules on parliamentary staffing. He suggested Belgium could follow examples from neighbouring countries and European institutions.
“Marine Le Pen was excluded from the French presidential elections because she paid party staff with European Parliament funds. It’s high time Parliament tightened the rules as well,” he said.
“It seems logical to me that Parliament would relax the diploma requirements while simultaneously clearly defining the staff's job descriptions and work stations,” said Devos. “That’s simply a matter of sound HR policy.”
#FlandersNewsService | Vooruit's chairman Conner Rousseau © BELGA PHOTO JILL DELSAUX
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