Kasper Merckx

Kasper Merckx (born 8 July 1970) is an Inelander internationalist and politician who has served as Minister-President of Ineland since April 2022. He previously was a member of the Chamber of Commons (1999–2013) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2014–2022).

Merckx is a member of the People's Party (VkP). Following the 2022 legislative election, he took office as Minister-President and succeeded Frederick Vandervelde.

Early life
Merckx was born on July 8, 1970 in Den Brugge at the Kingdom of Voorland in Ineland. Between 1987 and 1992 he underwent studies in psychology and international relations at the Catholic University of Den Brugge.

Political carreer
Merckx joined the right-wing Volksverbund party in 1990. After Frederick Vandervelde's election as leader of the party in 2011 and it's reform into the Volkspartij, Merckx became deputy party leader. In 2014 the party managed to form and lead a government for the first time and Merckx was named minister of infrastructure and transportation. During his tenure at the helm of the ministry he laid the foundations for the country's high-speed rail network. In 2017, after a cabinet reshufle, he became minister for foreign affairs, being in charge of negotiation on Inelandic accession to the European Union.

In 2021, Frederick Vandervelde announced his retirement from politics after the 2022 legislative election, thus paving the way for a change in party leadership. On February 2022, the VkP confirmed him as candidate for Minister-President.