Former Deputy Prime Minister Louis Michel and ex-MR vice-chair Gérard Deprez urge Prime Minister Bart De Wever to intervene, warning that promoting the son of Iran’s former shah risks weakening the democratic opposition
Two prominent figures from Belgium’s French-speaking liberal MR party have publicly opposed the planned visit of Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah, criticizing the decision to give him an official platform at the Royal Military Academy and questioning the political implications of his reception in Belgium.
In comments published by the Belgian newspaper De Standaard on October 29, former Deputy Prime Minister Louis Michel and former MR vice-chair Gérard Deprez described the initiative as inappropriate and called on Prime Minister Bart De Wever to intervene.
Pahlavi is scheduled to visit Belgium on November 6 at the invitation of Defense Minister Theo Francken (N-VA), where he is expected to deliver a speech at the Royal Military Academy. The planned appearance has generated criticism because of Pahlavi’s continued positive references to his father’s rule and the absence of a clear break with the former monarchy’s authoritarian legacy.
Michel, a former deputy prime minister and father of former European Council President Charles Michel, questioned the democratic credentials of presenting Pahlavi as a potential alternative for Iran.
“You can have an open mind, but you must know which system you are supporting. It was a dictatorship. Nobody can dispute that,” Michel told De Standaard. He warned that the invitation could divide or weaken Iran’s democratic opposition.
“I do not see what democratic arguments you can rely on to invite this man. Surely you do not believe that this can become a democratic alternative,” he added.
Louis Michel: Opposition to Iran’s regime does not mean support for monarchy
Michel made a distinction between opposing Iran’s ruling regime and endorsing a return to hereditary rule.
“I am against the current regime in Iran. Francken and Bouchez are too,” he said. “So I ask myself: Are we in favor of a democratic system in Iran? And who can represent such a democratic system? A democratic opposition. Not someone who is supposed to succeed through his family inheritance.”
He rejected the idea of presenting Pahlavi as one of Iran’s political alternatives, describing such an approach as “not only ridiculous, but unacceptable.”
Michel also questioned why Defense Minister Francken and MR chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez would support the invitation despite Pahlavi’s failure to explicitly reject his father’s authoritarian government.
“He has never contradicted his father’s dictatorship,” Michel said, adding that he saw no democratic basis for inviting him as a representative of Iran’s future.
Gérard Deprez: “Bouchez is not in charge”
Gérard Deprez, another senior MR figure and former vice-chair of the party, also signed the open letter to Prime Minister De Wever opposing the official reception.
Speaking to De Standaard, Deprez described the initiative as “a stupid initiative by the MR” and rejected the notion that party members were obliged to support every decision made by Bouchez.
“I am against this visit because I do not see what positive results it can produce. Supporting the people in Iran? It is not wise to support the son of a former dictator,” he said.
Deprez also criticized Bouchez for increasingly involving himself in foreign policy matters, emphasizing that the MR chairman does not hold the governmental authority to determine Belgium’s diplomatic position.
“I see that, but I do not support it. He is not in charge. The prime minister bears the responsibility,” Deprez said. He urged De Wever to publicly clarify that he did not support the initiative.
Neither Bouchez nor Prime Minister De Wever agreed to comment to De Standaard.
Dispute over Belgium’s position toward Iran’s opposition
The controversy follows an earlier disagreement over a proposed parliamentary reception for Pahlavi. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés) had emphasized the diversity of Iran’s opposition and the need for Belgium to avoid recognizing any individual or political faction as the representative of the Iranian people.
His position was subsequently reflected in the Federal Parliament’s decision not to organize an official parliamentary event for Pahlavi after no consensus could be reached.
Bouchez nevertheless arranged a private meeting between Pahlavi and the MR parliamentary faction, while Defense Minister Francken proceeded with the invitation to the Royal Military Academy.
The latest criticism from Michel and Deprez adds significant opposition within the MR itself to an initiative that has already drawn objections from Iranian-Belgian organizations and 32 prominent Belgian political, academic, and legal figures.
Their intervention reinforces the distinction between supporting the Iranian people’s struggle against the ruling dictatorship and endorsing a political figure on the basis of dynastic inheritance. As the November 6 event approaches, the debate in Belgium increasingly concerns whether official state platforms should be used in ways that could suggest political preference among Iran’s diverse opposition currents.