Answer
As a Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt faced a major ideological shift from neoliberalism to centrism. Verhofstadt had been a member of the Flemish Liberal Democrat Party (VLD) since 1972, and he was the party's leader from 1995 to 2007. During his time as party leader, Verhofstadt was a strong advocate of neoliberalism, and he supported free trade, privatization, and deregulation.