Dimanche matin, ce sont plus de 600 militants qui étaient rassemblés dans un auditoire de l’université, à Louvain-la-Neuve, pour donner leur feu vert au tandem Leroy – Vanden Burre. Ce même duo s’était déjà présenté à l’été 2024, après la gifle subie aux élections fédérales, régionales et européennes de juin, mais on lui avait alors préféré le ticket Cogolati – Lecocq.
Le tandem s’affiche comme complémentaire. L’une est Hennuyère (elle a été élue locale à Frasnes-lez-Anvaing), l’autre Bruxellois. La première a travaillé dans l’enseignement, avant d’être élue à la Chambre en 2019. Elle a ensuite intégré le gouvernement De Croo (en 2023) en tant que secrétaire d’Etat à l’Egalité des genres, à l’Egalité des chances et à la Diversité. Gilles Vanden Burre est quant à lui associé au monde de l’entreprise: cet ingénieur de gestion a travaillé dans le privé (banque CBC, Umicore,…) avant d’intégrer la Chambre en suppléant de Zakia Khattabi en 2015. Réélu en 2019, il devient en 2020 chef de groupe Ecolo-Groen.
Groen joue sa survie : le prochain leader pourra-t-il relancer le parti?
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium – Marie-Colline Leroy and Gilles Vanden Burre have been elected co-chairs of Belgium’s French-speaking Green party, Ecolo, following a vote by more than 600 party members on Sunday, March 15, 2026. The election comes after a period of internal strife and significant electoral losses for the party, highlighting the challenges facing Belgium’s Green movements.
The pair previously ran for the leadership position in July 2024, shortly after Ecolo suffered setbacks in federal, regional, and European elections. At that time, members chose Marie Lecocq and Samuel Cogolati instead, but the two stepped down in November following policy disagreements.
Leroy and Vanden Burre present themselves as a complementary team, bringing diverse backgrounds to the leadership. Leroy, from the Hainaut province, has a background in education and was elected to the Chamber of Representatives in 2019. She later served as Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities, and Diversity in the De Croo government, beginning in 2023.
Vanden Burre, based in Brussels, is a management engineer with experience in the private sector, including positions at CBC bank and Umicore, before entering parliament in 2015 as a substitute for Zakia Khattabi. He was re-elected in 2019 and became the Ecolo-Groen group leader in 2020.
Both Leroy and Vanden Burre lost their seats in the 2024 elections, when Ecolo experienced substantial losses and moved into opposition at most political levels. The new leaders have stated their intention to broaden the party’s appeal beyond traditional left-wing voters, reaching out to entrepreneurs, business leaders, and the middle class. Vanden Burre has indicated the party will continue to uphold left-wing values whereas engaging more directly with the economic sector.
The leadership change comes at a critical juncture for Ecolo, as the party seeks to regain influence amid ongoing debates surrounding public spending, economic competitiveness, and energy security.
