Overall, the majority of activists pleaded for maintaining the choice made after the electoral defeat in June: the opposition. “What is presented to us is not acceptable at this stage, and the relationship of trust has not been reestablished with the MR.” tells us an environmentalist source. “The position therefore remains unchanged.”
Is Écolo’s door permanently closed? Not quite. “If the situation deteriorates in the coming months, it is agreed to possibly discuss it again”underlines a member of Ecolo.
A little piece of hope…
It is this little piece of hope that the Brussels trainer, David Leisterh (MR), as well as Christophe De Beukelaer (Les Engagés) cling to.
The negotiators of the MR and the Engagés therefore plan, in the coming days, to try their luck again with the environmentalists, and to prove their goodwill to them.
At the top of the MR, the path of a majority MR-Engaged-Ecolo-Défi is now no longer seen as plan B, but as plan A. And for good reason: beyond, interpersonal considerations, the different each option seems more complex than the other.
One is to convince the PS to renounce its veto against the N-VA. However, the PS is not giving in on this point. “Our goal is simple: not to be at the table with the N-VA.”further assured Ridouane Chahid this Tuesday in The Free. Off the mic, the tone is exactly the same.
Another option would be, as the PS recommends, to replace the N-VA with the CD&V in the Dutch-speaking coalition. “During each of our meetings, Benjamin Dalle (CD&V) repeated that he did not want to participate. recalled Frédéric De Gucht, Open VLD negotiator, this Tuesday.
Brussels negotiations: Défi denounces “Ecolo’s selfish and irresponsible attitude”
The MR and Les Engagés themselves judge the Flemish Groen-N-VA-Vooruit-Open VLD axis to be too solid to be defeated. “Among them, the tone is clear: we are not going to change our coalition because the PS asks for it“, points out a liberal source.
The path of a coalition with Écolo and Défi therefore appears, in the eyes of the MR and the Engagés, to be the least difficult to achieve.
This state of affairs allows us to imagine the extent of the blockage that the capital is experiencing…
David Leisterh and Christophe De Beukelaer will need a lot of patience and talent to change Écolo’s position.
Among the Greens, many saw in the call of the MR and the Engagés a diversionary maneuver, aimed at putting pressure on the PS.
Brussels: David Leisterh’s gesture, a skillful maneuver
Frosty PS-MR relations
This analysis by certain Greens, however, neglects a central element: the extent of the deterioration of relations between socialists and liberals.
In the MR, resentment towards the PS has continued to grow, since municipal negotiations during which the socialists took the lion’s share.
On December 2, the PS withdrew from the Brussels negotiations, after refusing to sit down at the table with the N-VA. Since this date, the canal has been completely cut between Ahmed Laaouej and David Leisterh.
Between the two strong men of the Brussels Region, trust is broken.
“They make us pay dearly for this choice…”: how the PS beat the MR into trouble in the “second round” of the municipal elections in the Brussels Region
David Leisterh’s situation therefore indeed resembles that of a lover who, feeling cheated, has chosen to move forward, but is slow to find new love. That of Ahmed Laaouej is similar to that of a spouse who, thinking he has been left unjustly, expects the return of his ex, when he realizes his mistake.
The MR will also have to convince Défi. Because, in the ranks of the ex FDF, if the door is not closed, it is not completely open either…
What will David Leisterh do if this track fails?
This Wednesday, in De Morgen, Ans Persoons revived the idea of a fourth Dutch-speaking Secretary of State (Editor’s note: against 3 currently). This option would allow the CD&V to enter the team, instead of the N-VA, and therefore bring the PS back into the game.
“C“It won’t move until Arizona is federally formed.” predicts a knowledgeable source. “It may then be possible to put the N-VA aside in Brussels, without compromising the federal negotiation. An agreement could then be reached in the Brussels Region, but also in Schaerbeek.”
