Groen and Les Engagés try to relaunch Brussels government formation
After almost nine months, David Leisterh has resigned as Brussels formateur on Friday. He called on the French-speaking socialists of PS to take up their responsibility, but they refused. The duo of Christophe De Beukelaer of Les Engagés and Elke Van den Brandt of Groen therefore took the initiative to start a new round of talks.
As expected, David Leisterh of the French-speaking liberal party MR resigned as Brussels formateur 257 days after the elections. “Several partners have prevented any reasonable exploration of a solution,” he stated. He referred to the PS, which has a veto against the N-VA and withdrew from the francophone coalition, but also to Ecolo. The French-speaking Greens could have teamed up with Défi to replace the PS, but refused.
“Following the extreme polarisation against the Brussels PS, we have come to the conclusion that only an initiative led by parties that enjoy the confidence of all can provide an answer to the current crisis”
Leisterh argued that the PS should take the initiative as the second largest party in the Brussels parliament. But the socialists quickly declared that they were not prepared to lead a formation round. “Following the bilateral contacts of the past few days and the extreme polarisation that has arisen against the Brussels PS, we have come to the conclusion that only an initiative led by parties that enjoy the confidence of all can provide an answer to the current crisis,” the Brussels PS stated.
Christophe De Beukelaer of French-speaking centrist party Les Engagés and Dutch-speaking formateur Elke Van den Brandt of Groen, the Flemish Greens, decided to take the lead instead. They will jointly hold an “information round” to break the deadlock in which the Brussels formation has ended up.
“Open talks” with Brussels leaders
“David Leisterh's decision puts the negotiations de facto on hold. Elke Van den Brandt is also temporarily putting her Dutch-speaking formateur role on hold to take on an information mission together with Christophe De Beukelaer,” the two politicians announced in a press release.
“Dutch speakers and French speakers must work together in Brussels, with respect for the language communities, to reach a solution," they continued. "Our mission is clear: bringing enough democratic parties around the negotiating table to form a Brussels government.”
"The challenges in terms of quality of life, safety, cleanliness and finances cannot wait any longer"
Starting Monday, they will invite the 13 leaders of the Brussels parties for “open talks”. “We’ll identify the bottlenecks and organise multilateral meetings to overcome them,” they explained. “Afterwards, we’ll consider the next steps in the government formation, including the possible appointment of mediators or deminers.”
The pair say they are taking on this task because the situation does not allow for Brussels to wait any longer for a solution. “The situation is extremely serious. The challenges in terms of quality of life, safety, cleanliness and finances cannot wait any longer. In the words of the social partners, ‘Inactivity is no longer an option'.”
Elke Van den Brandt, Brussels leader of the Flemish green party Groen © BELGA PHOTO DAVID STOCKMAN
Related news
