Olga Zrihen Zaari | |
---|---|
Senator | |
In office 28 June 2007 – June 2011 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 10 January 1953 Casablanca ( Morocco) |
Nationality | Belgian (formerly French), Moroccan |
Political party | Parti Socialiste |
Residence | La Louvière |
Olga Zrihen ( Arabic: أولجا زريهان; Casablanca, January 10, 1953 [1]) is a Moroccan-born Belgian politician and a member of the Parti Socialiste.
Zrihen was born to a Jewish family in Casablanca, Morocco. At the age of 6, her family moved to Lille, France. [2] Due to this, she also has a French passport, and had a degree in Germanic languages from the University of Mons-Hainaut, today the University of Mons. [3] [4] Zrihen worked as a teacher of German and English between 1976 and 1991. [1]
Zrihen was elected to the municipal council of La Louvière, Belgium in the municipal elections in October 2000, by then as a French citizen. She was re-elected in 2006, and became deputy mayor in 2007. [5]
She became a member of the European Parliament in April 2001, [6] not reelected in June 2004, this time after having acquired Belgian citizenship. A few months later though, she was coopted to the Belgian Senate to replace Philippe Busquin, who was elected to the European Parliament, and in 2007, she was elected to it. [7] She is a member of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians [8] and in March 2002, she supported an appeal in favour of Israeli membership of the European Union. [9] [10]
Elected in 2009 as a member of the Regional Parliament of Wallonia, Zrihen replaced Joëlle Kapompolé as a senator for the Walloon community until 2014. She was also the vice-president of the Parti Socialiste between 2011 and 2014. [5]
She has been awarded with the Order of Leopold twice, once in 2007 as a Chevalier, and in 2014 as an Officier. [2]
Olga Zrihen Zaari | |
---|---|
Senator | |
In office 28 June 2007 – June 2011 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 10 January 1953 Casablanca ( Morocco) |
Nationality | Belgian (formerly French), Moroccan |
Political party | Parti Socialiste |
Residence | La Louvière |
Olga Zrihen ( Arabic: أولجا زريهان; Casablanca, January 10, 1953 [1]) is a Moroccan-born Belgian politician and a member of the Parti Socialiste.
Zrihen was born to a Jewish family in Casablanca, Morocco. At the age of 6, her family moved to Lille, France. [2] Due to this, she also has a French passport, and had a degree in Germanic languages from the University of Mons-Hainaut, today the University of Mons. [3] [4] Zrihen worked as a teacher of German and English between 1976 and 1991. [1]
Zrihen was elected to the municipal council of La Louvière, Belgium in the municipal elections in October 2000, by then as a French citizen. She was re-elected in 2006, and became deputy mayor in 2007. [5]
She became a member of the European Parliament in April 2001, [6] not reelected in June 2004, this time after having acquired Belgian citizenship. A few months later though, she was coopted to the Belgian Senate to replace Philippe Busquin, who was elected to the European Parliament, and in 2007, she was elected to it. [7] She is a member of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians [8] and in March 2002, she supported an appeal in favour of Israeli membership of the European Union. [9] [10]
Elected in 2009 as a member of the Regional Parliament of Wallonia, Zrihen replaced Joëlle Kapompolé as a senator for the Walloon community until 2014. She was also the vice-president of the Parti Socialiste between 2011 and 2014. [5]
She has been awarded with the Order of Leopold twice, once in 2007 as a Chevalier, and in 2014 as an Officier. [2]