Laurent Merchiers

Laurent Merchiers (9 June 1904 – 5 February 1986) was a Belgian liberal politician, lawyer, and a professor at the University of Ghent.

Laurent Merchiers
Born	(1904-06-09)9 June 1904 Zottegem, Belgium
Died	5 February 1986(1986-02-05) (aged 81) Ghent, Belgium[citation needed]
Nationality	Belgian
Occupation(s)	politician, lawyer, professor

During the occupation of Belgium, working as an editor for the clandestine newspapers Vrij Nederland and Het Belfort,^[1] and was also a member of the Ghent Independence Front affiliated with the KPB.^[2] He was mayor of Ghent in a liberal-socialist coalition from 1953 to 1958. Laurent Merchiers was a member of parliament and senator (1955–1971), and minister of justice (1958–1960). He resigned as a minister after the Congo crisis.