Richard Kelder

Moving to Belgium in 2011 was "emigration-lite" for Richard. "The language and culture are so similar to the Netherlands. It's those subtle differences that trip you up at first. But I became Belgian after a few years. In theory, I can't get any more Flemish," he says. After studying international and European law, Richard is now a manager in a major legal department.

Always interested in politics, intermittently involved with various parties, Richard never found the perfect match until he joined Volt "one or two elections ago". A decisive factor for him was how politics should address the major issues facing Flanders, Europe, and the world. Richard is also convinced that things won't improve on their own unless we take action ourselves.

"Many problems have become cross-border. Think of climate change or ensuring that multinationals pay fair taxes. We simply can't solve those issues in Flanders, or even at the Belgian level. Europe is the best place."

Does Richard stand a chance in Vlaams-Brabant campaigning against traditional parties with deep pockets, who also field the sons and daughters of former prime ministers as candidates? "All parties claim they're family-oriented — for their own families. That's completely unfair, nepotism. Volt is not like that. We want to include everyone."