Wouter Verschelden, who was Martin Buxant’s guest on bel RTL Matin, revealed behind the scenes of the Vivaldi. The political journalist discusses the anger of Alexander De Croo, the budgetary report and other anecdotes.
Author of the political book “The Fall of Belgium”, the political journalist answered various questions and spoke in particular about the results of Vivaldi.
The title of your book is not optimistic…
“I admit that it seems dramatic, but the reality is that Vivaldi’s balance sheet is quite negative. We are in a budgetary situation that all Belgians know. It’s horrible. We are one of the worst students in the European class. We are under the supervision of the European Commission. This is the result of 4 years of bad governance.
It’s a real story that you’re telling, with some bad moves. Is this the plot of a TV series?
“From time to time, reality goes a little beyond fiction in Belgium. It is not spectacular to say that this government was not working. There were little anecdotes which killed the atmosphere. There was a huge lack of trust between the partners.”
What makes Belgian politics special?
“In every country, there are tensions, but in Belgium, it is particular. There is always this existential question: will Belgium survive? I have been a political journalist for 20 years, and for 20 years , we are asking ourselves this question more and more. We must remember that in the last elections, almost 50% of the votes were given to separatist parties. We must remember that the promise. of Vivaldi was to demonstrate that the country was functioning, that there was a team of 11 million Belgians.”
Alexander De Croo “gets expensive” in your book…
“At times, it was really tense, and he used old-fashioned management techniques. He put pressure on, and I don’t think it worked very much…”
Alexander De Croo tried everything to become European Commissioner by contacting Georges-Louis Bouchez and Bart De Wever…
“It revealed that even in the end, he was maneuvering. He contacted his big adversaries, and got down on his knees to get this position. He looked for an emergency exit. That was the common thread of this government This led to a lack of trust among the partners. He did like Charles Michel.
What was the role of Georges-Louis Bouchez?
“He is a special person. He played a big role. The MR felt like the only right-wing party. He felt abandoned by the Open VLD. There was more and more of a gap between the two. It became a dirty war. In the end, they didn’t talk to each other anymore.”
Paul Magnette wanted to replace Georges-Louis Bouchez with the Engagés of Maxime Prévot
“Quite. In the end, it was Elio Di Rupo who saved Georges-Louis Bouchez’s skin. Elio Di Rupo did not want to destabilize his own government in Wallonia. There was a certain connection between the two. They come from Mons. They know each other well. And we must remember that when Elio Di Rupo retired to Mons, Georges-Louis Bouchez congratulated him.
politics vivaldi government alexander de croo
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