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Frank Vanhecke (born 30 may 1959, Brugge) started his career in right-wing Belgian politics as a student by joining the Jong Studentenverbond and later the Nationalistische Studentenvereniging. He gave up his subsequent membership of the Volksunie after it acceded 1977 to a much-debated package of federal reforms and in joined the Vlaams Nationale Partij - the fore-runner of the Vlaams Blok.
Quickly climbing trough the party-ranks, he became responsible for the party's press and media communication in 1986 and worked from 1989 as a personal assistant to Karel Dillen in the European Parliament, until he was elected to a Parliamentary seat himself in 1994. After a short term in the Belgian Senate, Vanhecke returned to European politics after the Parlementary elections in 2004.
When Karel Dillen resigned his function as chairman of the Vlaams Blok in 1996, Vanhecke was designated as new chairman, and was reelected in 2001.
In 2004 the highest court in Belgium upheld a controversial verdict declaring the Vlaams Blok guilty of violating Belgium's anti-racism act. This forced the party's dissolution. Vanhecke is now leader of a new party called Vlaams Belang (Eng.: Flemish Interest).
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