Jan Peumans

Who is Jan Peumans?

Jan Peter Peumans is a Flemish politician from the province of Limburg in Belgium. Being part of the Flemish Movement, he was at a young age already member of the Volksunie. He seated for that party in the Limburgish provincial council and is since 2004 a Flemish Parliament member for the New Flemish Alliance. From 2007 until 2009 he was N-VA fraction leader in the Flemish Parliament. After the elections of 7 June 2009, he became President of the Flemish Parliament, succeeding Marleen Vanderpoorten.

In the Flemish Parliament, he worked e.g. on the case of the Antwerp Oosterweel connection. Peumans was elected most hard-working member of the Parliament in the period 2004-2009, by the newspaper De Standaard.

On 27 January 2010, Peumans caused controversy after he was absent during a reception at the royal palace. As convinced republican he refuses to go to receptions at the king's palace, although he talked to him once on the occasion of the day of the Flemish Community.

On 12 September 2010, he was in Visé, where he claims to have been insulted and attacked by a local because "he had no business in Wallonia".