Flemish Liberal Party Buries VLD Brand, Officially Becomes ‘Anders’

In a decisive break with its past, the Flemish liberal party has formally retired the Open VLD brand and officially adopted its new name, “Anders” (Dutch for “Different”), during a party congress held in Hasselt on June 5. Party chairman Frédéric De Gucht declared, “Today we literally buried the VLD,” as the statutory changes cemented the end of a political brand that had existed since 1992.

The End of an Era

The name change marks the culmination of a year-long transformation following the party’s historic electoral defeat in the June 2024 federal elections, where Open VLD fell from 12-13% to approximately 7-8% of the Flemish vote. According to VRT NWS, the party’s statutes were completely overhauled, reduced from roughly 100 pages to fewer than 20.

“We have new statutes, we have a new declaration of principles, and we have aligned new rules,” De Gucht said at the congress, held at Hogeschool PXL in Hasselt.

The VLD brand had deep roots in Flemish politics. Originally established in 1992 under the leadership of future Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, the party grew out of the earlier Liberal Party (PVV). The “Open” prefix was added in 2007. For decades, it was one of Belgium’s three traditional political families, alongside the Christian Democrats and Socialists.

A New Political Model

Beyond the name change, the party introduced several structural innovations designed to signal a fundamentally different approach to politics. A new membership category called “medestAnder” (co-different) allows sympathizers who are not full party members to participate in internal debates. Even more striking is the concept of “tegenstAnders” (contra-different) — external citizens and thinkers invited to challenge and criticize party positions, serving as a sounding board.

The party also established a “Spiegelraad” (Mirror Council), composed of 20 party members and 10 registered MedestAnders on a rotating basis, tasked with providing feedback and keeping the party’s perspective sharp.

On electoral lists, the party is mandating renewal: for the first two positions on each list, at least one candidate must have no prior elected national mandate. Successors may not be sitting or former parliamentarians who have served a full term.

The Road to Rebranding

The name change was first announced by De Gucht on January 19, 2026, at the party’s annual New Year’s reception. At the time, he declared: “This is more than a new name. We are going to do politics differently. There are no taboos, no dogmas. We start from a blank slate.”

De Gucht’s predecessor, Eva De Bleeker, had attempted a name change but was blocked by the party board due to concerns about a lack of substantive renewal. She stepped down shortly after, and De Gucht won the leadership election in October 2025 with nearly 91% of the vote.

Analysis: Can a New Name Change Fortunes?

The rebranding follows a trend in Flemish politics: the socialist party sp.a renamed itself “Vooruit” (Forward) in 2020. However, the challenge for Anders is steep. The party currently sits in opposition at the federal level, where the center-right Arizona coalition (N-VA, MR, Les Engagés, CD&V, Vooruit) governs.

Recent polling from “De Stemming” in May 2026 shows Anders continuing to lose support, with no turnaround yet visible. De Gucht has acknowledged the difficulty, stating: “That it will be a long road was clear from the beginning.”

The party also faces competition not only from the dominant N-VA on the right but also from a potential new liberal project called “Durf,” launched by former Open VLD member Maurits Vande Reyde in Antwerp.

What’s Next

The successful statutory change marks the final institutional break with the VLD era. Whether the rebranding will translate into electoral recovery remains an open question. The party’s ability to translate its structural innovations — MedestAnders, Spiegelraad, and mandatory list renewal — into tangible political renewal will be crucial in the months and years ahead.

For now, as De Gucht put it, the VLD has been laid to rest. The question is whether Anders can rise from its ashes.