Sint-Truiden (The Brussels morning Newspaper): Carl Nissens is rejoining CD&V Sint-Truiden to support Ingrid Kempeneers in the upcoming elections, despite past controversies and concerns from party members about his return.
In Sint-Truiden, there’s news that CD&V Sint-Truiden and Carl Nijssens are teaming up again to ask voters for support on October 13, with Nijssens in 4th place on the list. He mentioned that after good talks with Ingrid Kempeneers, he made this choice because they started their political journey together 24 years ago and understand each other well. He appreciates the work she has done in the past two years and wants to support her new project.
Will Carl Nissens’ return to CD&V shake up Sint-Truiden’s politics?
Nijssens was in charge of Sports from 2013 to 2019 but left the CD&V party almost two years ago because he had problems with the party leaders. There were some scandals and bad communication that didn’t fit the party’s values. One scandal was about police officers sharing secret information and the then-mayor, Veerle Heeren hid a report about it. Nijssens said there was a lot of lying and he quit before the party could kick him out. Now, he thinks those issues are behind him and likes how the new mayor is leading the party, believing it’s the right way to run the city and the party.
Nijssens has had some issues too. A report from Audit Flanders in April talked about possible conflicts of interest involving him. It said that his advertising agency, ZOZ, which he has run since 2002, may have done some work for the city in a questionable way over ten years and it involved a lot of money. Nijssens didn’t talk to VRT NWS but shared his side on his website. He disagreed with the report and said he always acted honestly for the city and never did anything illegal. He also mentioned that the report didn’t have any real proof against him. Plus, he said that local CD&V leaders have tried to silence him before, and since 2019 there’s been a political fight that has made things hard for him as a politician and a person. He feels like all this is just part of a political game.
The discussion about Nijssens returning is causing concern among some members of the Truiense CD&V party, as several members, including Jurgen Reniers and Eveline Kevers have left the party in recent weeks. Mayor Kempeneers stated that this is not a good time with elections approaching and she is now focusing on her campaign. Nijssens has expressed a desire to support her especially regarding safety issues, and has suggested a curfew for the asylum center starting at sunset.
