The assessment of the president of the jury, Vanessa Van Cartier, surprised and enthusiastic, was very clear: “You were born for this, baby”. The budding artist’s response, equally heartfelt: “Yeah, baby“Without a doubt, the natural talent was there. Sammy Mahdi She had never worn high-heeled shoes and could barely get up from the couch. And in an instant and as if nothing had happened, she advanced on a set, shimmied, turned with grace, elegance and a lot of rhythm from 20 centimeter platforms. A ripping orange, ready to destroy. The image, visually extraordinary, would have nothing special if it were not for the fact that the candidate to prevail in Make up your minda program on the VTM network, He is none other than the president of the CD&V partythe Flemish Christian Democratic Party.
He show It is a clever play on words, because in English it means decide, but it also refers to makeup. The politician’s transformation was incredible and the name chosen, Cindy Envy, a genius, because when read aloud it sounds almost exactly the same as the acronym of his political force. Mahdi was charming, relaxed, relaxed, smiling. He integrated perfectly into the dynamic, taking advantage of his undeniable communication skills in front of the camera.
Flemish society, not the most progressive on the planet, has had some problems accepting his participation. They believe that he is not serious, that a politician should not lend himself to such things and that he ignores traditional values. But his response is blunt: “The shows of drag queens They are prohibited in Tennessee, in the United States. In Italy they are banned on television. We take many of the rights we enjoy in Belgium for granted, but we shouldn’t. We must continue the fight by all means, because today it could be drag shows and tomorrow perhaps homosexual marriage. We have to continue fighting and if I can do it with 20 cm heels, I will do it with great pleasure,” he said to cheers when his identity was revealed.
Sammy Mahdi (34), son of a Flemish woman and an Iraqi man, has a degree in political science. He was responsible for the party’s Youth and Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration. In June 2022 he won with 97% of the votes in the congress that his party held in an amusement park and changed his life.
The goal is to modernize and get closer to a younger voter. The polls forced the resignation of his predecessor. And in a chain they forced Mahdi to leave his position in the Government to focus on internal management. Many thought that strategically it was not the best. Flanders has been moving to the right, and polls place the far-right Vlaams Belang (whose predecessor was outlawed and which until recently suffered from a cordon sanitaire) in the lead. Migration is the big issue and the now winner of television contests was characterized in office by a policy of firm hand.