Peter De Roover (born 20 May 1962) is a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

politician, economist, journalist and former broadcaster and a member of the Flemish nationalist

New Flemish Alliance The New Flemish Alliance ( ; N-VA) is a Flemish Movement, Flemish nationalist, Conservatism, conservative Political parties in Belgium, political party in Belgium. The party was established in 2001 by the right-leaning faction of the centrist-na ...

party. De Roover was elected as a member of the

Belgian Chamber of 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 ...

in 2014 for the

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 ...

constituency. He serves as the N-VA's faction leader in the Federal Parliament and has served as

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the Chamber of Representatives since July 2024.

Biography

Early career

De Roover was born in

Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities in Belgium, municipality and city located in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. ...

. From 1980 to 1984, he studied economics at the

Saint Ignatius University Centre, Antwerp St. Ignatius University Centre, Antwerp (UCSIA) is an independent continuation of the Jesuit effort to keep the Christian influence alive on to education after its predecessor the Universitaire Faculteiten Sint-Ignatius Antwerpen (UFSIA) joined tw ...

where he was active in the Flemish nationalist

Nationalistische Studentenvereniging The Nationalistische Studentenvereniging (NSV!) (Dutch language, Dutch; "Nationalist Student Association") is a far-right Flemish Movement, Flemish nationalist student political group in Belgium, with chapters in Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Leuven, W ...

(NSV) and the conservative

Katholiek Vlaams Hoogstudentenverbond Katholiek Vlaams Hoogstudentenverbond (KVHV) or the Catholic Flemish Students' Association is a political student society which concerns Flemish nationalism and conservatism. It accepts male and female members and has chapters in Ghent, Leuven, Ant ...

(KVHV) groups and helped to edit the KVHV magazine ''Tegenstroom.'' After graduating he worked as an economics lecturer at the Sint-Aloysius school in

Mortsel Mortsel () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city close to the city of Antwerp located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the city of Mortsel pr ...

and then at the Sint-Eligius college in

. De Roover became politically active in the VUJO, the youth-wing of the former

Volksunie People's Union (, , abbr. VU) was a Flemish nationalist political party in Belgium, formed in 1954 as a successor to the Christian Flemish People's Union. The Volksunie defined itself as a big tent and catch-all party that combined support from ...

(VU) party but left the VU in 1988 due to disagreeing with its political course and struggles between the left and right-wing factions within the party. He subsequently joined the

Vlaamse Volksbeweging The Vlaamse Volksbeweging (, "Flemish People's Movement") or VVB is a part-independent Flanders, Flemish-minded non-profit association. Since 1991, the VVB has been campaigning for the independence of Flanders and therefore belongs to the Flemis ...

(VVB) with

Jan Jambon Johan "Jan" Martin Jozef Jambon (born 26 April 1960) is a Belgian businessman and politician of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) who has been serving as a Deputy Prime Minister and as the Minister of Finance, Pensions, National Lottery and Federal ...

and co-founded the VVB's chapter in Antwerp in 1989. In the 1990s, De Roover took a break from politics to focus on a career in journalism. In 1999, he began contributing a finance column in the Flemish cultural and political magazine (now web blogsite) ''Doorbraak'' and became Doorbraak's editor-in-chief in 2013. In 2001, he founded the

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

publication ''Point.'' He also worked as a columnist and reporter for ''

De Standaard (, ) is a Flemish daily newspaper published in Belgium by Mediahuis (formerly Corelio and VUM). It was traditionally a Christian-Democratic paper, associated with the Christian-Democratic and Flemish Party, and in opposition to the Sociali ...

,'' '' De Morgen'' and ''

Knack Knack or The Knack may refer to: Music and entertainment * The Knack, an American pop-rock band famous for their hit "My Sharona" * The Knack (1960s US band), an American garage rock band active in the 1960s * The Knack (UK band), a British freakb ...

'' and was a presenter on the VRT current affairs show ''Terzake.''

Political career

In 2014, he ran for the Belgian Federal Parliament for 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 ...

party and was elected to the Chamber of Representatives for the

constituency. In 2015, he was appointed treasurer of the party and in 2016 resigned from this role to become the N-VA's group leader and spokesman in the Chamber. During the

Michel I Government The Michel I Government was the Federal Government of Belgium formed following the 2014 Belgian government formation and sworn in on 11 October 2014. The administration was a centre-right coalition of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Christ ...

in which the N-VA provided support to the government of

Charles Michel Charles Michel (; born 21 December 1975) is a Belgian politician who served as the president of the European Council from 2019 to 2024. He previously served as the Prime Minister of Belgium, prime minister of Belgium between 2014 and 2019. Miche ...

, De Roover was known for his outspoken opposition to the government on certain policies. In 2018, he attracted attention for his stance against the Belgian government in signing the UN Migration Pact which was supported by all parties in the cabinet apart from the N-VA. The N-VA subsequently withdrew their support to the government after the treaty was adopted triggering the collapse of the Michel I' cabinet. In the

2024 Belgian federal election Federal elections were held in Belgium on 9 June 2024. The Chamber of Representatives (Belgium), Chamber of Representatives received 150 members with five-year terms. 2024 European Parliament election in Belgium, European and 2024 Belgian region ...

De Roover ran as the list pusher for the Antwerp constituency and was again elected to parliament. In 2024, he was elected President of the Chamber. De Roover has campaigned for the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

to be formally recognised by both the Belgian government and international community. In 2023, he was awarded the

Mkhitar Gosh Medal Awards and decorations of Armenia are military and civil decorations of Armenia which are bestowed by various agencies of the Armenian government for acts of accomplishment benefiting the government and the Armenian nation as a whole. National H ...

for his work on supporting the rights of Armenian minority communities and recognition of the genocide.

Personal life

De Roover is in a relationship with fellow N-VA politician

Els van Doesburg Elisabeth "Els" van Doesburg (born 24 May 1989) is a Dutch- Belgian politician of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) party who has served as the acting mayor of Antwerp since 2025 and as a member of the Flemish Parliament since 2024 for the Antwerp ...

whom he became engaged to in November 2021. In January 2025 she announced her first pregnancy. He has an adult son from a previous relationship.

References

Living people 1962 births People from Turnhout New Flemish Alliance politicians Presidents of the Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Members of the 54th Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Members of the 55th Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) Members of the 56th Chamber of Representatives (Belgium) {{Flanders-politician-stub