De Wever and Magnette throw in the towel: “It’s now up to the liberals and the greens”

The two men that have spent the past weeks trying to pave the way for the formation of a new federal government are to throw in the towel. VRT News sources say that the Flemish nationalist leader Bart De Wever and the Francophone socialist leader Paul Magnette plan to ask King Filip to pass the responsibility for attempting to form a new federal government to the greens and the liberals when they meet with Belgium’s Head of State on Monday.

However, the Flemish liberal leader Egbert Lachaert is reluctant to try and form a coalition with the liberals and the greens at its heart as he believes that the liberals and the greens are too far apart politically for this to be feasible.

So it looks like it will be back to square one on Monday. Mr De Wever and Mr Mr Magnette have been working on their attempt to find a solution to the political deadlock since 20 July. Arguably they have made the most progress.

5 parties, whose MPs account for 70 of the 150 members of the Federal Parliament were on board. However, 70 is still not a majority and at least one more party would have been needed for this. In order to find a sixth partner they entered talks with both the liberals and the greens.

However, a joint declaration issued by the liberals and the greens on Thursday has served to derail Mr De Wever and Mr Magnette’s plan. The parties said that they didn’t want to be played off against each other by the “Pre-formateurs”. They also expressed concerns about Mr De Wever and Mr Magnette’s plans for more devolution and state reforms.  

A meeting between the Pre-formateurs and the leaders of the Flemish and Francophone liberals on Friday morning only lasted just over half an hour. The liberals had gone to the meeting with the sole aim of finding out whether Mr Magnette and Mr De Wever wished to negotiate with them or with the greens. As the Pre-formateurs weren’t prepared to give an answer the liberals left empty-handed.  

The Flemish liberal leader Egbert Lachaert says that there was more at play than a reticence to be drawn on which parties the Pre-formateurs wish to negotiate with.

“They won’t give us any opportunity to modify the content of the document that they have drafted”. Mr Lachaert added that it was a shame as he was inclined toward a coalition made up of the liberals, the Flemish nationalists, the socialists and the Christian democrats.

On Monday Mr Magnette and Mr De Wever will ask the King to entrust the formation of a new federal government to the liberals and the greens.

However, from what Mr Lachaert has told VRT News’ political editor today the Flemish liberal leader is anything but enthusiastic about teaming up with one of the leaders of the Francophone greens. Not least because the liberals and the greens “are too far apart”. 

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