The PS, the PTB, and Ecolo have taken a decisive step to constitute the next majority in the Brussels municipality of Forest. They must still agree on a political declaration text for the next mandate. However, their leaders officially announced on Tuesday that the convergences achieved in their long preliminary discussions had created a climate of trust and “made it possible to develop a serious, realistic and coherent project for a prosperous municipality”.
■ Update with Maël Arnoldussen and Bryan Mommart
A first step was taken on Tuesday by the three parties with the submission of the act of presentation of the mayor who will be the socialist Charles Spapens. HAS Forestpreliminary discussions began as soon as the polls came out between the first three parties in the municipality: the PS (9 seats), the PTB (8 seats), and Ecolo (8 seats). The MR and DéFI together obtained 10 seats, and Les Engagés, 2.
“The quality, rigor of the discussions and the time devoted to them created a relationship of trust between the future partners. The convergences thus identified make it possible to develop a serious, realistic and coherent project for a prosperous municipality. The project of this new majority wants to bring together all Foresters for more social and environmental progress based on rigorous management of our municipality“, declared the leaders of the three parties, Charles Spapens (PS), Séverine de Laveleye (Ecolo) and Simon de Beer (PTB), in a joint press release.
► Read also | A first in Brussels: agreement for a PS-Ecolo majority with the PTB in Forest
A first step was taken on Tuesday by the three parties with the submission of the act of presentation of the mayor who will be Charles Spapens. “This solid majority will develop a united and responsible project to respond to the challenges of the municipality: security, social and environmental justice, social cohesion, housing, the emancipation of youth, or even economic development and the creation of jobs at The doorst“, added the three main negotiators. Discussions continue to finalize “a majority agreement faithful to this vision which will be presented after validation by the general assemblies of each party“.
In the Brussels Region, the PS also opened negotiations with the PTB in Molenbeek. Contacts also exist between these two groups in Schaerbeek, although in this case we cannot speak of negotiations strictly speaking.
The MR reacts: “There will be consequences in Brussels”
Unsurprisingly, the Reform Movement opposes this alliance. “A double denial of democracy”, reacts George-Louis Bouchez, recalling that the MR-Défi list had obtained the most votes (25.8%, 10 seats) and deploring a coalition with the extreme left: “Faced with people who are always very martial towards the extreme right, when it comes to the extreme left, we find a whole series of arrangements. Communism means tens of millions of deaths in history, but some seem to have forgotten it“, says the party president.
Georges-Louis Bouchez warns that this choice of the PS could have consequences on regional negotiations: “In Mons, they signed with the PTB, but in Liège, they signed an agreement with the MR according to which, if they associated themselves with the PTB, then the majority explodes and it is they who are relegated to the opposition. The next day, they signed with the PTB on the Forest side. So we see that from one geographical area to another, the PS chooses à la carte according to its electoral interest. Yes, as after Mons there were the consequences of Liège, there will also be consequences in Brussels and we reserve ourselves, in the coming days, to be able to implement this“.
“We are not laboratory rats”, says Défi
The leader of the forest section of ChallengeMarc Loewenstein affirmed Tuesday that his formation and the MR, allies on a cartel list with a view to the elections of October 13, “will remain united” even in the context of the announced emergence of a PS-Ecolo-PTB majority .
“Our ten municipal councilors will continue their work in the service of all Forest residents and each neighborhood, faced with a majority which divides and fragments our commune”, he said, judging that “the unease” was “already palpable in the within the population and municipal staff”.
In his eyes, by signing for a majority with the PTB, PS and Ecolo “bear the heavy responsibility for the choice of division”.
“The president of the PS, Paul Magnette, declared that the alliance with the PTB was an ‘experiment’. Citizens, and especially in Forest, must be respected. We are not laboratory rats” concluded the leader Challenge.
► Read also | Communales 2024 – Forest: all the results
► Read also | “A mayor MR in Forest and Schaerbeek, or nothing”, says David Leisterh
► Municipal file 2024
With Belga
