It’s a small detail, but the Emperor of Antwerp is fond of symbolism and meanings hidden in details. So is this a sign that Bart De Wever still wants to be the future Prime Minister and that he has not abandoned the idea of being the leader of the so-called Arizona coalition (N-VA, MR, Les Engagés, Vooruit and CD&V)? Obviously, yes.
The outgoing mayor of Antwerp now has 23 days left to reconcile the various party presidents: Georges-Louis Bouchez (MR), Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés), Conner Rousseau (Vooruit) and Sammy Mahdi (CD&V). On Tuesday, the Palace set a new hearing for January 31, with the aim of succeeding by coming to this 18th meeting. It is rumored that the King would already like to be able to organize the swearing-in around these dates.
However, there remains a series of “knelpunten”, hook points, to overcome. The most complex knots to unravel relate to taxation. We are talking about a hole of 23 billion euros to fill, with some 18 billion in spending reductions. The question of getting money with an increased tax from the richest, these famous “broadest shoulders”, particularly slows down the negotiations.
But with the “Arizona boss” at the helm, a touch of optimism is allowed.
