Hadja Lahbib wins the Belgian seat of European Commissioner. Although the name of the Minister of Foreign Affairs had been mentioned for several days, no one was really betting on this pick, even in the MR. And too bad for Didier Reynders who, with his assets, hoped to pull off a coup.
In the diplomatic arena, not everyone is applauding with both hands. Some are already bringing out the IranGate postcard. Others are invoking the Peter principle: “By being overclassified, any employee risks reaching his level of incompetence.” The idea that the president of the MR, Georges-Louis Bouchez, could have played this card in particular to remove a former baron of the party makes many teeth grind.
Political backstage: with Hadja Lahbib at the Commission, Bouchez signals the end of the Reynders/Michel era
Another dramatic turn of events: Ludivine de Magnanville, who had only just entered the scene eight months ago, changed sides in the middle of the game. Three months after being elected thanks to the votes of DéFI, she switched to the MR banner while keeping her seat as a Brussels MP.
These ego games remind us that politics often resembles a game of chess where the “I” wins over the “We”.
