HIBAPRESS – Brussels: Azzedine Lmrini
After more than 613 days since the regional elections in Belgium, which took place on June 9, 2024, the Brussels government was formed on Saturday. Ahmed Laouej, son of the Kebdana region in the Nador province, was appointed Minister of Social Action, Solidarity, and in charge of Local Authorities, Equality, and School Support, on behalf of the Belgian Socialist Party.
From Immigration to the Heart of the Institution
Ahmed Laouej, who comes from a Moroccan family that settled in Belgium during the immigration waves that the country witnessed during the sixties and seventies of the last century, when Brussels brought in a labor force from Morocco, studied law and specialized in financial and tax issues. This paved the way for a political career characterized by a focus on economic and social files. He joined the ranks of the Belgian Socialist Party early on, which is one of the most prominent political forces in French-speaking Belgium.
Laouej previously held several political positions at the local and federal levels, most notably the mayor of the municipality of "Koekelberg" in Brussels, and a deputy in the Belgian Federal Parliament, where he emerged as one of the voices defending the reform of the tax system and the promotion of tax justice, in addition to his presidency of the Socialist Party in the Belgian Federal Parliament, which is a pivotal political position within the party, which enabled him to influence the formulation of legislative and negotiating positions.
Implications of the Appointment
His appointment in the regional government of Brussels comes in a complex political context, where the capital faces challenges related to housing, unemployment, social integration, and financial pressure on regional institutions. The presence of a figure with a financial and legal background may be read as an indication of the Socialist Party's desire to strengthen its executive presence with faces with technical expertise.
But the symbolic dimension is no less important than the executive dimension. The rise of a politician of immigrant origin to a ministerial position in a capital that is the headquarters of the European Union institutions reflects deep demographic and political transformations. It also reflects the ability of traditional parties, led by the Socialist Party, to absorb new social representations within their leadership structures.
Between Symbol and Challenge
However, this appointment puts Laouej before a double test: on the one hand, proving his competence in managing complex executive files within a coalition government; and on the other hand, dealing with high expectations from broad sectors of the Moroccan community and immigrants in general, who see in his path a model of social and political advancement.
In the end, this appointment is not only reduced to an identity dimension, but rather reflects a long political path within a long-standing party institution, and an experience that has accumulated through parliamentary and negotiating work. Between the symbol and the executive reality, the next stage will determine whether Ahmed Laouej will translate his political assets into a tangible impact on the policies of the Belgian capital.
