Défi has not closed the door, as long as very strict guidelines are set. But Écolo, who also proved to be numerically indispensable, had chosen to go into opposition after the defeat in June. Would he have changed his mind? “No. It’s clear and precise,” assured Zakia Khattabi, Brussels MP, Thursday evening. Marie Lecocq, co-president, did not say anything else in the DH. “Ecolo has taken note of the election result which brings him into opposition.” Contacted by La Libre, she speaks of “a definitive position”.
This choice, validated at the general assembly in June, remains supported by a large section of the party, including Brussels minister Alain Maron, and several deputies, such as Farida Tahar. “The parties which won must take their responsibilities,” she assures. The trauma of defeat remains raw, internally.
Other voices
The decision, however, is no longer unanimous among the Brussels Greens, according to a large survey carried out by La Libre. “The position taken by the co-presidency is to work towards a future rebound from the opposition. Could we come back to this? In politics, I have learned to never say never. Everything will depend on the conditions. Having Groen in the within the majority can tip the scales”, analyzes Évelyne Huytebroeck (Ecolo), Brussels minister from 2004 to 2014, and current president of Hub. brussels. “When I became Brussels minister in 2004, it was also after an electoral defeat. But we analyzed that our contribution could make the difference in the majority. We were able to influence the executive, by launching new legislation in matters energy. And we finished the legislature with a great record. In 2009, we won the elections.”
After Saint-Josse, several polling stations recounted in the City of Brussels: Ecolo wins a seat to the detriment of the MR, Rajae Maouane elected
For Evelyn Huytebroeck, Écolo must relaunch the debate on internal participation. “If we are essential to a majority, Groen is there, and we have a good agreement, we must evaluate the situation, continues the Forestoise. At a time when the situation is so difficult budgetarily, we must take our responsibilities. I see in certain pararegional organizations, like Hub Brussels, that it is time for decisions to be made, in terms of budgetary commitments. Otherwise the wait will be untenable.
Several local representatives and influential members of Écolo, particularly in the municipalities south of Brussels, share this position. “I understand the official position. But, at some point, we have a responsibility to play, we cannot let things drag on. I also don’t see the advantage that political ecology finds in having a party in it ( Groen) and an outside What is the urgency? Regenerate our party in opposition or make the Brussels Region work?” asks an influential Green municipal representative.
“We need to have the discussion internally”
“The MR has not been kind to us over the past five years. But the PS has not been any more… And our loyalty to the PS has not paid off for us, as we have seen in Brussels City and in Ixelles, where the PS ejected us,” adds another environmentalist source.
Animosity grows between PS and MR in Brussels: “The sequence which is opening could have major political significance”
“The positions and vetoes put by the different parties do not respect citizens,” adds a former parliamentarian. “At some point, we have to have the discussion, internally, and say to ourselves ‘can we be part of the solution, Brussels?”
“I found, in June, that we had been a little abrupt in announcing our refusal to participate, concludes an elected official from the south of Brussels. But this choice was reinforced by the attitude of the MR, and of David Leisterh, who continued to divide after the elections. The strong vote on the postponement of the Lez (low emission zone) was seen as a form of contempt. As long as the MR remains in this posture, it will be no for us.
