Before negotiations can start on a new federal government, ‘the economic and institutional content that N-VA and PS put forward must be adjusted’. That can be heard at Open VLD.
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Moreover, the Flemish liberals remain attached to the French-speaking MR. “The liberal family is available to start negotiations on this in order to form a government with the three classic political families and N-VA,” it sounds.
The extended party board of Open VLD met Saturday morning, after N-VA chairman Bart De Wever further increased pressure on the Flemish liberals on Friday evening in the studios of VTM News in To the point.
According to De Wever, who has been commissioned together with PS President Paul Magnette of the Palace to form a new federal government, the work is already far, but the MR must be unloaded. “Nobody is still in favor of the MR in the government,” launched the N-VA chairman. Party chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez in particular causes resentment. He ‘only wants to make the negotiations fail’, says De Wever.
But Open VLD does not budge. The party board unanimously believes that N-VA and PS should adjust their plans before there can be any government negotiations. “The economic and institutional content that N-VA and PS put forward is still very far from our vision and needs to be adjusted,” a statement says. Chairman Egbert Lachaert stated last weekend that his party does not want to participate in a project that pushes through a state reform in exchange for a left-wing economic policy, which is why MR and Open VLD slipped the negotiators’ own list of priorities last week.
The Flemish liberals also remain behind the axis with MR. “The liberal family is available to start negotiations on this in order to form a government with the three classic political families (liberals, socialists and Christian Democrats, ed.) And N-VA.” According to Open VLD, this broad support is needed, ‘in view of the major challenges facing our country’.
‘Bubble of five parties’
De Wever suggested on Friday that a ‘bubble of 5 parties’ – PS, SP.A, CD&V, CDH and N-VA – could form a government within two to three weeks. Only that composition can only boast 70 of the 150 Chamber seats, so at least a sixth party is needed. If Open VLD and MR do not want to come along, the gaze automatically goes to Ecolo and Groen, but that seems even more complicated. The two green parties form an equally solid axis, and Ecolo has always said that it does not want to negotiate with N-VA.
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