A function of shadows and compromise in contradiction with his virulent invectives. Last weekend, the liberal openly attacked the alliance of Molenbeek socialists with Ahmed El Khannouss, “who openly supports terrorists“. “Ahmed Laaouej, where has the PS gone which has given priority to the interests of the people of Brussels instead of pure power politics?”
A divisive, sharp tone, “what you see is what you get“, which is the trademark of this maverick from the private sector. “Yes, I am direct in my communication, assertive“, he told us. “I avoid beating around the bush. I come from the business world. In Brussels, we are heading straight into the wall, financially. We no longer have the luxury of always being friends“.
Brussels training – Frédéric De Gucht: the attitude of the PS is “incredible”
Behind the scenes, some do not hide their irritation at the style of the liberal, now called upon to negotiate in the absence of Sven Gatz for medical reasons. “He is very arrogant, very haughty. He says there is an urgent need to form a government. But by insulting others like this, we will never have a government.”we sigh in another party. On the French-speaking liberal side, on the contrary, we approve of the words of De Gucht’s son: “When Ahmed Laaouej calls us racistsit’s much worse. It’s not bad to have someone who dares to tell the PS its four truths”points out an agent.
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Never won an election
Arriving in Brussels at the age of 18, Frédéric De Gucht has hardly left Brussels since. Father of a family, he now lives in the Pentagon. He has no elective mandate. Placed 33rd on the liberal list in the City, he saw, with 610 votes, the mandate of councilor and therefore alderman pass under his nose last October. Ditto in June, where he was placed in the ineligible 14th place on the federal liberal list. Candidate for the presidency of his party this summer, the Brussels resident did not make it through the second round.
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An absence of legitimacy which makes its opponents sneer. “He only has his father’s baggage. He has no mandate and comes to give lessons. He does not understand Brussels, its political and linguistic balances, and the fragility of this entire system. He should show humility“, a Brussels political actor tells us. Contacted, David Weytsman (MR), who hosted De Gucht on his list, said he was surprised by the hostilities towards him and defended his former running mate: “he has an impressive career in the private sector and he will be useful for the Brussels Region given the catastrophic economic context. He speaks with frankness, and he is a direct and efficient man.”
A VLD that navigates visually
Bloodless nationally, the Open VLD is also suffering in Brussels. For a long time under the good-natured and accommodating tutelage of Guy Vanhengel, the party saw itself deprived of its figurehead, Sven Gatz, temporarily sidelined for medical reasons but also politically by the new presidency of the Open VLD due to his failure in Brussels finances . Pleading for a coalition with the N-VA, the VLD recently announced that it would settle for a position of government commissioner, in charge of the Budget.
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A tailor-made position for entrepreneur Frédéric De Gucht? “Certainly not for me.”assures us the Brussels resident. “I don’t negotiate for myself. I didn’t come into politics to get a job.” For a French speaker, this is precisely his weapon: “He’s selfless, it’s more to his advantage.” Who then for this position? The list of VLD deputies is short and a “surprise” is therefore not excluded from this party in search of new faces. In any case, a heavyweight in Brussels politics don’t hide it: “We already miss Sven Gatz”… We bet that the former Minister of the Budget is not about to return.
Quarrel with the Open VLD, omnipotence of Ahmed Laaouej and fear of being “collaborators” of the N-VA: in Brussels, the reasons for the blockage of the PS
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