The trainer of the federal government, Bart De Wever (N-VA), discussed again this Sunday, bilaterally, with the partners of Arizona (N-VA, MR, Engagés, CD&V, Vooruit), including the president of the Flemish socialists Conner Rousseau, to try to overcome the current impasse, on the eve of a report to the king, we learned from a good source.
The president of the Flemish Socialists hit the brakes in the middle of last week, deeming the latest version of Bart De Wever’s socio-economic note and budgetary tables insufficient.
“The chances of reaching an agreement are low“, added Conner Rousseau this weekend in the Flemish press, suggesting a failure for Arizona. Newly allied within the Flemish government, the N-VA and Vooruit saw their relationship darken at the start of last week, when an attempt to form a majority in Ghent failed after Vooruit activists rejected the pending agreement.
Conner Rousseau’s party, the most left-wing in Arizona, presents itself as a defender of purchasing power and wants to see the necessary budgetary efforts supported more by the most well-off. “At the start of the negotiations, the president of the MR, Georges-Louis Bouchez, said that he agreed with 90% of the text. It was already a difficult start to the negotiations. I agreed with 10%. Today, it’s changed a little, but it’s still 85% MR and 15% us. The text is therefore unbalanced“, according to Conner Rousseau.
The CD&V would still have reservations on tax reform, the Engagés on the efforts to be made on health and the MR on the efforts requested from federal institutions in Brussels. But unlike Vooruit, all three would agree to continue negotiating with the N-VA and move forward with budget negotiations. For Theo Francken (N-VA), “everything is certainly not over“.
“Bart (De Wever, Editor’s note) must not go to the King until tomorrow. I think we’re almost there. Many parties agree. Vooruit has questions and reservations, they need to be discussed“, he declared on VTM, on the mid-day news. “Let’s take this step together. Let’s defend this story side by side (…) it’s time to take the plunge. Everything is on the table, the cards are there. It’s time to form this government“, urged the Flemish nationalist.
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