Jean-Luc Dehaene

Jean-Luc Dehaene
Dehaene in 2009
Prime Minister of Belgium
In office 7 March 1992 – 12 July 1999
Monarchs	Baudouin Albert II
Preceded by	Wilfried Martens
Succeeded by	Guy Verhofstadt
Personal details
Born	Jean Luc Joseph Marie Dehaene (1940-08-07)7 August 1940 Montpellier, France
Died	15 May 2014(2014-05-15) (aged 73) Quimper, France
Political party	Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V)
Spouse	Celie Verbeke
Children	4
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Jean Luc Joseph Marie "Jean-Luc" Dehaene (Dutch: [ʒɑ̃ːˈlyk dəˈɦaːnə] ^ⓘ; 7 August 1940 – 15 May 2014) was a Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1992 until 1999. During his political career, he was nicknamed "The Plumber",^[1][2] as well as "The Minesweeper",^[3] for his ability to negotiate political deadlocks.

A member of the Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V) party and its antecedents,^[3] Dehaene gained his first ministerial appointment in 1981. Dehaene's first government (1992–1995) included both Christian and Social Democrats and presided over the creation of a new constitution, effectively transforming Belgium into a federal state. His second government (1995–1999) coincided with a number of crises in Belgium including the Dutroux scandal. The Dioxin Affair, occurring shortly before the 1999 election, led to a swing against the major parties and Dehaene's government fell.

Following his final term as prime minister he was active in both Belgian and European politics. He was also on UEFA's financial fair play regulatory body and managed Dexia Bank during the financial crisis. He was the last prime minister of King Baudouin's reign.