Belgian PM’s cat Maximus is social media star with ‘subliminal political message’ | Social media

For nearly 15 years, Britain’s Larry the Cat has fascinated visitors to 10 Downing Street. Now another prime ministerial pet is proving the popularity of social media in Belgium.

Maximus Textoris Pulcher, announced in august As the official resident of the Belgian prime minister’s office at Rue de la Loi 16 in the center of Brussels.

The gray rescue cat is now thought to have the second most popular political account on Belgian social media. 142,000 followers on Instagram – He is second only to his master Bart De Wever, who became the prime minister of Belgium in February.

The cat’s full name is a pseudo-pompous title meaning “De Wever’s beautiful Maximus”, rooted in the prime minister’s love of Latin and Roman history (tissue being “belonging to the weaver” or De Wever).

De Wever adopted the cat, an abandoned Scottish fold, from a shelter. “I have a cat in my office, it’s gray and it doesn’t catch mice, but I still love it,” he told reporters at a recent press conference.

Maximus’ posts on Instagram stirred up the Belgian internet; whether it’s reaching for a toy, lying on the windowsill, or lying down. tickled his chest to an electropop soundtrack.

Unlike Larry, who is officially an apolitical cat, Maximus offers nuanced observations about his country’s political life. One reads “Another strike” Maximus thought bubble It was the day Belgium launched a three-day national protest against proposed spending cuts in November, hinting at its master’s anger. As De Wever’s eclectic five-party coalition is locked in budget talks, a grumpy-looking Maximus lies on the floor and reads in a thought bubble: “Even on Sunday these troubles, [cabinet ministers] “They are here.”

A source close to de Wever – described as a “lifelong cat person” – said this narrative was a low-effort part of his team’s work, offering the public a behind-the-scenes look at Rue de la Loi 16.

Prof Dave Sinardet, a political scientist at the Free University of Brussels, said the statement fell in line with a long-standing tradition of politicians being depicted with animals to show an attractive side.

He said this was especially true of De Wever, who was “perceived as a highly competent, strong debater, with clear ideas but perhaps a less warm person… This may help strengthen his warm side.”

Sinardet said the Maximus account contained a “subliminal political message”, referring to the prime minister’s frequent posts while reading the newspaper next to his cat at night. “You often see Bart De Wever as a hard worker; he does the best he can, works Saturday nights.”

De Wever, Belgium’s first Flemish nationalist prime minister, is known for his dry humor and has long used social media to share selected images of a seemingly unglamorous daily life. His own Instagram account It shows him ironing shirts in a Copenhagen hotel while riding a tram before the EU summit.

Sinardet said that although Maximus played a role in this, the account “created a positive tone” for people who found the politics boring or contradictory. In a photo showing Maximus outside the window of a cabinet meeting, the speech bubble reads: “And they complain about my meowing.”

And while it’s been joked that Maximus is the real boss, the cat can ventriloquise De Wever’s own thoughts. The day after the difficult EU summit, Maximus told De Wever: “Congratulations, you’re a hero.” While the joke is that the cat flatters its owner to get more attention, it also shows De Wever saving the day.

However, Sinardet suggested that politicians who complain about Maximus’ posts generally do not gain public sympathy. “It just reinforces De Wever because they come across as grumpy people… whereas this is supposedly just a funny, positive, cute cat narrative.”