Patrick Janssens (born 19 September 1956) is a Belgian former politician. He was a member of the

SP.a Vooruit (, Dutch for Forward) is a Flemish social democratic political party in Belgium. It was formerly known as the (Flemish) Socialist Party (1978–2001: ''Socialistische Partij'', SP; 2001–2021: ''Socialistische Partij Anders'' , , SP.A) ...

and the former mayor of the port city

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

Career

Janssens studied "Political and Social Sciences" and "Applied Economic Sciences" (both Masters) at the

University of Antwerp The University of Antwerp () is a major Belgian university located in the city of Antwerp. The official abbreviation is ''UAntwerp''. The University of Antwerp has about 20,000 students, which makes it the third-largest university in Flanders. ...

and Statistics at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. From 1979 to 1985 he was an assistant in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Antwerp, first of Jan Vranken (with whom he wrote the first National Report on Poverty in Belgium, within the framework of the First European Anti-Poverty Programme) and then of Herman Deleeck. From 1985 to 1989, he ran a market research agency () after which he undertook several positions at the marketing agency VVL/BBDO until 1999. In 1999, he was appointed president of the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

. He resigned as president to become

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

in 2003. In the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

held the same year, Janssens was elected to the

Belgian Chamber of People's Representatives The Chamber of Representatives (; ; ) is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered to be the "lower house" of the Federal Parliament. Members and elections Article 62 o ...

but he left the Chamber one year later when the 2004 regional elections saw Janssens becoming a member of the

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

. In the municipal elections of 2006, he was overwhelmingly elected for another term as mayor. He was longlisted for the 2008

World Mayor World Mayor is a biennial award organized by the City Mayors Foundation since 2004. It intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of c ...

award. Janssens lost the 2012 municipal elections to

Bart De Wever Bart Albert Liliane De Wever (; born 21 December 1970) is a Belgian author, historian and politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Belgium since February 2025. From 2004 to 2025, De Wever had been the leader of the New Flemish Allianc ...

of the

N-VA The New Flemish Alliance ( ; N-VA) is a Flemish nationalist, conservative political party in Belgium. The party was established in 2001 by the right-leaning faction of the centrist-nationalist People's Union (VU). The N-VA is a regionalist an ...

. On 25 August 2014, he became general director of football club

KRC Genk Koninklijke Racing Club Genk (), commonly known as KRC Genk or Racing Genk, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Genk in Belgian Limburg. Racing Genk plays in the Belgian Pro League and have won four championship title ...

but was succeeded by on 9 February 2018 , and on the 2 of January he was elected councilman in the De Wever Government . In January 2021, suspected of forgery , he was one of the fifty Belgian football personalities involved in the "Footbelgate" whose referral to the Antwerp Criminal Court was requested by the federal prosecutor's office. In 2022, Janssens faced forgery accusations as part of Operation Clean Hands during his tenure as CEO of KRC Genk. After being elected and with the management agreement between Vooruit and N-VA finalized, he was appointed alderman for Housing and Urban Development on January 2, 2025.

References

External links

*
citymayors.com profile
1956 births Living people Alumni of the London School of Economics Mayors of Antwerp, Belgium Vooruit (political party) politicians Belgian socialists University of Antwerp alumni 21st-century Belgian politicians {{Flanders-politician-stub