Mark Demesmaeker
Mark Demesmaeker (; born 12 September 1958) is a Belgian TV journalist, newsreader and politician, affiliated to the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA). Career Demesmaeker was born in Halle, Flemish Brabant, and originally trained as a teacher, teaching the subjects Dutch, English and History. He later changed careers to journalism, becoming a reporter for a travel programme on the public broadcaster VRT in 1991. Shortly after, he moved to the commercial channel VTM, where he worked as a news presenter until 2004. Demesmaeker also created and presented the gardening programme Groene Vingers (Green Fingers). He was elected as a member of the Flemish Parliament in 2004 and reelected in 2009. In 2013, Demesmaeker left the Flemish Parliament to replace Frieda Brepoels (who became mayor of Bilzen) as member of the European Parliament. He was directly elected in 2014 to keep this position. In 2006, he was elected to the City Council of Halle and became alderman. In 2012, he was reelected with the most preference votes, but a coalition was formed without his party. Following the resignation of Frieda Brepoels, who was elected to the post of mayor in Bilzen, Mark Demesmaeker joined the European Parliament as N-VA MEP in February