Brussels government formation stalled by rift between formateurs
Three months after the elections, negotiations on a Brussels government have still not started. The breach of trust between the formateurs is deep and a Dutch-speaking majority is still far from being achieved.
The formation remains at an impasse, with a deepening rift between Dutch-speaking formateur Elke Van den Brandt of Flemish green party Groen and French-speaking counterpart David Leisterh of liberals MR.
Since 9 June, Van den Brandt has been unable to bring together parties capable of forming a Dutch-speaking majority, a crucial step for establishing a Brussels government. Leisterh, in turn, unilaterally announced that the French-speaking parties had agreed to postpone the Brussels low emission traffic zone (LEZ) by two years, without consulting their Dutch-speaking counterparts.
Since then, Van den Brandt has been demanding “cast-iron guarantees” that she can work with Leisterh, especially on environmental issues. While he cautiously apologised on the radio on Tuesday, he does not seem willing to retract the decision.
Restoration of trust
“Once we have a governance agreement in place, there will be a clear framework, and we will never operate outside of it," he said. "But at the moment, there is no framework. There’s not even a majority on both sides to negotiate such an agreement.”
It seems unlikely that negotiations for a majority will be continued on the Flemish side in Brussels if trust is not restored with the French-speaking parties. Even if that were to happen, those negotiations would still run aground.
With Team Fouad Ahidar not being a viable option, Van den Brandt needs four parties to secure a majority. However, Christian democrats CD&V seems unwilling to enter the coalition, and the divide between Groen and nationalists N-VA remains too large to bridge.
The idea of governing Brussels without a Flemish majority is therefore growing. With the LEZ proposal, the French-speaking parties have been testing the waters. If Van den Brandt does not make progress soon, they will likely try it again.
#FlandersNewsService | MR's David Leisterh © BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT
Related news
