Bart De Wever will only be Prime Minister with a solid government perspective

Journalist in the General Editorial Team
Published on 04/10/2024 at 06:30

Form a “fair” government before the municipal elections, Flanders did it, not the federal level, since the future Arizona coalition (the colors of the five parties, MR, Engagés, N-VA, CD&V and Vooruit recall those of the flag of this American state) is still under construction.

Sylvie, a reader from Brussels, is surprised and wonders if Flanders was ultimately less afraid of the possible consequences of this agreement (the announcement of new taxes, for example) on the voters’ vote in the municipal elections on October 13 than the parties which negotiate the federal government… Keeping in mind that three of the five parties (N-VA, CD&V and Vooruit) are the same at both levels of power… Explanations.

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Why was it possible to have a government in Flanders just before the municipal elections of October 13 and not at the federal level? Let us first remember that Flanders gave itself a government two months after Wallonia which, this time, very quickly put together a majority agreement.

Your pension is in the sights… of Bart De Wever!

Flanders has therefore not achieved a feat and, as Carl Devos, political scientist at the University of Ghent, points out, it was necessary to overcome “the great mutual distrust between Vooruit and N-VA on the one hand and the CD&V on the other leaves. Personal relations between Conner Rousseau (president of Vooruit, Editor’s note) and Sammy Mahdi (president of CD&V, Editor’s note) are not good. The Flemish team was built on new relationships, which took time to establish. It was anything but obvious, but they wanted to present a government to voters before October 13. They wanted to avoid fueling anti-political sentiment and they realized that they were condemned to each other, that there was no alternative (…) The N-VA wanted to show Flemish voters that Flanders governed just like Wallonia and the French Community (…) After the municipal elections, there will be very little time left to form a federal government, so party presidents had to avoid having to form two governments at the same time. »

Christie Morreale denounces the attitude of the Walloon government: “A revanchist policy of the MR which systematically attacks the measures taken together”

“Easier in Flanders”

The comparison between the formation of the Flemish government and that of the federal coalition seems a little shaky to our expert: “At the Flemish level, the formation was much easier than at the federal level,” continues Carl Devos. “Flanders did not need many major reforms, it was mainly a question of additional financial resources, strengthening the obligation to learn Dutch and to look for work. The Arizona coalition will have to take many more strong measures than Flanders. »

Flemish government: these decisions which may interest French speakers…

Are things really slow? What’s wrong with the constitution of this Arizona government? This is what the opposition laughs at, asserting that the main negotiators only see each other on Fridays to maintain their ties… The echo is a little different in the future majority. “Yes, they see each other on Fridays for the moment, but their contact is continuous. »

It must be said that the method has changed since the end of the “pacifying” mission of the president of the Engagés, Maxime Prévot: we are trying to achieve results, via the working groups, before attacking the Everest of the super- trainer’s note… Remembering that, in any case, whatever the theme, it will be up to the central group, therefore the party presidents, to resolve the knots and ratify the agreements. Among the negotiating parties, we are offended by the allegations which indicate that the negotiations are slowing down: “We are trying to have an agreement that is as clear as possible to avoid the episodes experienced with the Vivaldi majority. It could have gone a little faster if we hadn’t had to go back through the royal hut (the mission of Maxime Prévot, Editor’s note), but it’s progressing… Barely implied: it’s progressing even faster than with the Di Rupo or De Croo governments.

Why has Bart De Wever not yet presented the new version of his note? The trainer, who is also president of the N-VA, was asked to rewrite this super note (which talks about major reforms: tax, labor market and pensions) which had been “burned” when Bart De Wever had threw in the towel in August. Obviously, the partners have not yet received the new copy, “even if it is not easy to make a new recipe with the same ingredients,” a source tells us. Not sure if they will receive it before October 13th. Bart De Wever is obviously very afraid of leaks which would damage or kill her prematurely. It is true that the issue will be crucial…

When can we expect to have this new federal government? Let us no longer return to the trainer’s first hope of seeing this coalition installed around September 20. End of October? Mid-November? More than one speaker pouted. The forecast that is currently popular is… Saint Nicholas Day. Will there be a Fouettard father on the team? More seriously, Carl Devos thinks it will be a very, very difficult training. “The budget figures continue to deteriorate, the economy is slowing down a bit, things are not going very well in Germany. We therefore need even more money, while the economic outlook is less positive,” he comments. “In addition, Vooruit became somewhat radicalized after the budget tables were leaked. Bart De Wever declares that he will put back on the table his super note which had been rejected by the MR and Vooruit. Federal training may not start until early November, but they want to introduce new measures from the 1^is January 2025, so there should be a government in early December. Is this possible? And what will be the consequences of the results of October 13? The fall will be very difficult…” It’s true that the weather has already been very cool for a few days…