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Rabat – Rachid Madrane, a Belgo-Moroccan politician, has been serving as president of the Brussels Regional Parliament since July 18. Madrane was elected in the 2019 Regional Elections.
At the age of 51, Madrane is one of the leading figures of the French Socialist Party (PS) and the Belgian political scene. His motto is “work and perseverance always pay off.”
Madrane told Maghreb Arab Press (MAP) that, as president, he has big dreams for Brussels. “I dream of a creative and dynamic city that embodies the future of big cities, where it is pleasant to live,” he said optimistically.
For Madrane, “there are several priority issues to be tackled, particularly the topic of mobility which is one of the main sources of concern in Brussels.”
As for employment, the president finds pride in the “uninterrupted” decline of Brussels’ unemployment rate. However, Madrane stressed that more effort is needed to fight hiring discrimination.
This type of discrimination is “an issue that has always been important to me and one I have worked hard on,” says the politician. His adherence to the PS dates back to 1985, in the wake of “Don’t touch my friend” campaigns led by the SOS Racisme association.
“When I was a teenager, I started to understand and experience racism and its effects, and so I started to get involved with associations, but as time went on, I realized that if I wanted to make a change, I would have to do so through politics,” he explained.
After having worked as a radio and newspaper journalist, Madrane held the position of spokesman in ministerial cabinets. He was then elected for the first time at the Etterbeek Municipal Council in 2000.
From June 2004 to June 2009, he was a member of the Brussels Parliament. In 2010, he joined the Federal Parliament.
In 2014, Madrane integrated the Wallonia-Brussels Federation government, where he was designated Minister for Youth Aid, Houses of Justice, and Promotion of Brussels.
The now-president was in charge of the departments of Sports and Youth respectively in 2016 and 2018.
At the head of the Brussels Parliament, Madrane has taken the challenge to promote participatory democracy, to involve citizens in the decision-making process, and to reconcile them with politics.
