Sammy Mahdi

Sammy Mahdi (born 21 September 1988) is a Belgian Christian-Democrat politician, a member of CD&V, who in March 2020 became a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives. On 1 October 2020, Mahdi became Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration in the new government led by Alexander De Croo.

Sammy Mahdi
Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration
Assumed office
1 October 2020
MonarchPhilippe
Prime MinisterAlexander De Croo
Preceded byMaggie De Block
Member of the Chamber of Representatives
In office
17 March 2020 – 1 October 2020
ConstituencyFlemish Brabant
Personal details
Born (1988-09-21) 21 September 1988
Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium
Political partyCD&V
Alma materVrije Universiteit Brussel
Occupationpolitician

Life

Mahdi was born in Ixelles (Brussels) to an Iraqi refugee father and a Flemish mother.[1] He studied political science at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and obtained a master's degree in international and European law. From 2014 to 2017, he was a parliamentary assistant to Flemish Member of Parliament Joris Poschet. Since 2016 he is also a regular columnist for the newspaper De Morgen.

After being a board member of Jong CD&V since 2015, in 2017 Mahdi became the chair of the youth section of CD&V,[2] re-elected in 2019.[3]

From 2015 to 2017, Mahdi was chairman of the CD&V section of Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. In the last year Mahdi moved to Vilvoorde,[4] where he became a board member of the local CD&V section. Since January 2019 he is also a municipal councilor of Vilvoorde and chairman of the CD&V faction in the city council.

In October 2019 he ran to succeed Wouter Beke as party leader,[5] in what became a close race with Joachim Coens, who in the final round won due to greater support in West Flanders and among elderly party members.[6]

After several years involved in party organisation and in local politics, Mahdi was elected a reserve member of the Chamber of Representatives for the constituency of Flemish Brabant in the 2019 Belgian federal election, and in March 2020 took his seat in the chamber when Koen Geens became a member of the Wilmès II Government.[7] As a result, he also resigned as chairman of Jong CD&V.

On 1 October 2020, Mahdi became Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration in the cabinet of Alexander De Croo.[8] He said in statements to local media that he intends to increase the number of deportations of asylum seekers.[9]

References
  1. Fiche Sammy Mahdi op de website van CD&V Vilvoorde.
  2. "Sammy Mahdi is nieuwe voorzitter Jong CD&V". Bruzz (in Dutch). 11 March 2017.
  3. Sammy Mahdi herverkozen als voorzitter van Jong CD&V, Het Laatste Nieuws, 17 November 2019.
  4. Voorzitter Jong CD&V verhuist van Molenbeek naar Vilvoorde, De Morgen, 19 mei 2017.
  5. "Nieuwe voorzitter CD&V wordt havenbaas Joachim Coens of jongerenvoorzitter Sammy Mahdi". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 18 November 2019.
  6. "West-Vlamingen en senioren kroonden Coens tot voorzitter CD&V". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 17 December 2019.
  7. Yves Lambrix; Liliana Casagrande (17 March 2020). "Coronaregering-Wilmès II van start: "Ik ben vastberadener dan ooit"". Het Belang van Limburg (in Dutch).
  8. "Overzicht: wie is wie in regering-De Croo?". Knack (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  9. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20201020-son-of-iraq-refugee-takes-office-as-migration-and-asylum-minister-in-belgium/
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