At the ALDE Party Congress on 4-6 October, hundreds of liberals voted to elect seven new members to the ALDE Party Bureau led by our new President Svenja Hahn MEP.
Scroll below to read the political journeys and profiles of our five new Vice-Presidents as well as one re-elected Vice-President.
Yoko Alender (Reformierakond, EE)
Yoko Alender has served as a Member of the Estonian Parliament since 2015 and was appointed as Estonia's Minister for Climate in July. A key figure in the Estonian Reform Party, she has led initiatives on environmental and cultural matters and contributed to numerous election manifestos.
She is widely recognised for playing a pivotal role in advancing green policies across Europe, and is equally dedicated to empowering women in politics, having been a member and trainer for the Alliance of Her since 2016, where she actively mentors aspiring liberal leaders.
Yevheniia Kravchuk (Servant of the People, UA)
Kravchuk has been serving as a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament since 2019, and as Vice-President of the ALDE Group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Her key areas of expertise include cultural diplomacy, media reform, disinformation and propaganda.
In her role as ALDE Party Vice-President, she aims to strengthen Europe’s security against propaganda and disinformation, advocating Ukraine’s smooth integration into the EU, promoting empowerment and equal engagement of women and young people in the life of society, and intensifying cultural diplomacy exchanges among the liberal family.
Lucia Plaváková (Progresívne slovensko, SK)
Plaváková is a lawyer, human rights activist and a progressive politician who has been a Member of the Slovak Parliament since October 2023, serving as the chair of its Human Rights Committee and a member of the Slovak delegation in Council of Europe.
Her mission lies in defending the rule of law, justice, human rights and equality. She is a co-founder of an NGO focused on rainbow families, and has provided pro bono legal advice at a counseling center for LGBTI+ people as well as to people fleeing Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Sal Brinton (Lib Dems, UK)
A former President of the Lib Dems between 2015 and 2020, Baroness Sal Brinton has been a member of the United Kingdom’s House of Lords since 2011, advocating for policies on social justice, individual freedoms, democratic governance and human rights.
As ALDE Party Vice-President, she chaired the review of the ALDE Party Charter of Values and liaised between the non-EU member parties grouping and the Bureau. She also created the Lib Dem Leadership Programme for women, disabled people, LGBT+ and ethnic minority candidates, resulting in the most diverse group of Lib Dem MPs in the recent General Election in July.
Jouni Ovaska (Keskusta, FI)
Ovaska has been a Member of the Parliament of Finland since 2019, previously serving as Keskusta’s Secretary General between 2016-18. He is currently Chair of the Transport and Communications Committee and works as a spokesperson on EU affairs for his parliamentary group.
Ovaska wants to build a stronger ALDE Party which connects liberals, democrats and centrists and enables them to defend liberal values and democracy, fighting against extremism and creating a more competitive and prosperous Europe.
Rik Daems (Open Vld, BE)
With over 35 years of experience in local, regional, national and international politics, Daems is an expert on democracy and electoral systems, mainly advocating for fundamental rights and freedoms as well as on economic issues.
Daems has served as a Member of the Belgian and Flemish Parliaments and of the city council of Leuven. He has been a member of the Belgian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) since 2007, and led the ALDE Group between 2017-20, when he was elected as PACE President.
Click here to scroll through the full list of members of the ALDE Party Bureau.
You can watch a recording of some Congress sessions on our YouTube channel.
More photos are available on our Flickr album.
Check out our X, Instagram and Facebook accounts for the best social media moments from #ALDECongress.