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Philippe Close

Mayor of the City of Brussels
Biography

Philippe Close is a graduate in Law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. In 1999, hired by former prime minister Elio Di Rupo, he joined the Institut Emile Vandervelde, the study centre of the Parti Socialiste (PS). In 2000, he became his spokesperson and in 2001 he joined the team of Freddy Thielemans, Mayor of the City of Brussels, as Head of Cabinet. 

In 2006, Philippe Close participated in the municipal elections and was duly elected, becoming Alderman for Staff and Tourism. Following the 2012 elections, he also took charge of the City finances. In 2009, Philippe Close was elected member of Parliament of the Brussels Capital Region, where he would chair the Social Affairs Committee and later be appointed group leader of the PS in the regional Parliament in 2013. 

In June 2017, he became Mayor of the City of Brussels. In 2018, he was re-elected as Mayor for the following 6 years, on a platform of social inclusion and accessibility while also celebrating Brussels international facets. In order to fully devote himself to his task, he resigned as a member and group leader of the Brussels Parliament.