In an interview with Radio 1, N-VA chairman Bart De Wever lashed out at Vlaams Belang. “In the 100 years that the far right has existed in Flanders, it has not taught us anything yet. I hope people will vote with their minds in 2024.”
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“I get that question every time,” replied Bart De Wever when interview Michaël Van Droogenbroeck asked whether the N-VA chairman would accept the outstretched hand of Vlaams Belang after the elections in 2024. “I’m as tired of that as anything. I like to talk about my own party: we have to be the biggest and we have to have the right of initiative.”
To which De Wever did say something about the other party: Vlaams Belang. “If they are the biggest, you immediately have Vivaldi II. No, we have to be the biggest. Because it’s almost cynical: on the one hand, they are organizing a meeting here with the most fascistoid figures. They go to Assad, invite all kinds of weird characters here. But on the other hand, they say in the same breath: we would like to participate in management.”
Tom Van Grieken and Bart De Wever met in 2019 for post-election talks. — © ISOPIX
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“I don’t see anything in it”, said De Wever afterwards. “Not in the program, not in the party. On the far right is the drama of Flanders. It is now 100 years old and has taught us nothing. nothing, zero, nothing† I really hope people vote with their minds, all that political energy that is wasted on them…”
De Wever: “Look, we are so close to the end of the Flemish movement. In the next elections, the inability to sum up Belgium will force us to change. Magnette is cramped by the election results in France, Ecolo has a program that is at least as silly.” According to De Wever, a stalemate will come in 2024, which will require major reform.
21 years chairman
In the interview, De Wever also discussed a number of other themes. His presidency at N-VA, for example. “When I finish this new mandate, I will be president for 21 years.” Is that still healthy, Van Droogenbroeck wondered. “Are you a member of the party? No? Well, to be quite bold, that’s none of your business. In our party, the members decide who becomes the chairman.”
The merits of the Flemish government were also examined. “Of course we are definitely doing better, but all over the world there are problems that you need to address. We have reformed the housing tax system: not pleasant. The children’s money has been reformed: not pleasant either. But we do keep it under control from a budgetary point of view. But in Flanders there is management and agreements are made. If, like the federal labor deal, you only launch farts in a mesh bag, then you really don’t hear much. but we have an agreement on nitrogen, there is the construction shift…”
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