01 October 2020
00:03
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Sp.a signs for the political comeback of the year: former party chairman and Teletubbie Frank Vandenbroucke joins the De Croo government as Minister of Health and Social Affairs.
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Sp.a: Vandenbroucke is back
Sp.a chairman Conner Rousseau is a shrewd negotiator for a 27-year-old in shorts. That is one of the final conclusions now that the puzzle pieces of the De Croo government are gradually falling into place. The sp.a is bringing in a portfolio that it would never claim under normal circumstances: Public Health and Social Affairs. These are the powers par excellence that the PS was aiming for, especially after six years of Maggie De Block (Open VLD).
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But Rousseau still had an account open with PS chairman Paul Magnette. Over the past year, Magnette regularly used his junior partner to remove the chestnuts from the fire. Last week that even happened twice: first Magnette Rousseau did the dirty work to make Georges-Louis Bouchez (MR) sing a tune down. Subsequently, the sp.a chairman renegotiated on his own about the outline of the coalition agreement with Egbert Lachaert (Open VLD).
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The PS has now honored this by handing over the top social department to the sp.a. And Rousseau really packs a bomb for that. Frank Vandenbroucke, one of the four Teletubbies of yesteryear who was completely troubled with the match, returns. After his political career, Vandenbroucke opted for an academic career and laid the foundation for the pension reform. He repeatedly took positions that were against the party.
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In addition to Social Affairs, the Flemish socialists also get the Minister of Development Cooperation. That will be Meyrame Kitir.
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PS: Dermagne, Dermine and three women
The PS receives the rest of the social policy. It is about Work and Economy, Pensions and a new authority: the recovery policy. Magnette counts on his right hand Thomas Dermine for this. The former Waal of the Year and Harvard alumnus is a rising star in the party. He embodies a new socialism: hardy, but with a great entrepreneurial reflex. Pierre-Yves Dermagne, currently still a minister in the Walloon government, will, however, become the most important PS’er in the government. He becomes Deputy Prime Minister.
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The PS chooses three women for the other functions. Ludivine Dedonder, Member of Parliament from Tournai – her partner is mayor – will be the new Defense Minister. Karine Lalieux, Member of Parliament and President of the Public Social Welfare Center from the city of Brussels, becomes Minister of Pensions. Eliane Tillieux, a former minister in the Walloon government, will succeed Patrick Dewael as President of the Chamber. After 51 men, she is the first woman to hold this position.
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CD&V: Coens is rejuvenating strongly
CD&V chairman Joachim Coens surprises with young names, including the unknown Annelies Verlinden.
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Second big conclusion: CD&V chairman Joachim Coens has been under constant fire in recent weeks, but unlike his predecessor Wouter Beke, he dares to continue selecting. A piece of furniture such as Pieter De Crem and the sixties Koen Geens disappear from the stage. Minister of Work Nathalie Muylle also has to give way, especially because she comes from West Flanders and the party already has many faces there.
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Coens deliberately opts for rejuvenation in the provinces where CD&V needed it. The future State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Sammy Mahdi is from Flemish Brabant. East Flanders, together with Vincent Van Peteghem, provides the future Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance. Van Peteghem is the mayor of De Pinte and a Doctor of Economics. Like Mahdi, he was candidate for president at the end of last year.
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The surprising Annelies Verlinden from Antwerp receives the Interior. Verlinden is a top woman at the law firm DLA Piper and was once a youth chair and councilor in Schoten for CD&V. But very important: in the Arco trial she acted as a lawyer for the savings vehicle of the Christian workers’ movement. Whether that means keeping Arco aflame again is not clear.
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The departments that Coens has dragged out of the fire are not the least. Finance was reserved for the PS. That was the deal between the PS and Open VLD about prime minister. But Coens went against that on Wednesday and Magnette tied in. CD&V may also appoint a vice-chairman for the European Investment Bank. That will not be Koen Geens, he will move to Parliament.
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Green and Ecolo: finally credible
Tinne Van der Straeten gives Groen the credibility that the party so craves.
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Green can shape climate policy. That will be the job of the widely respected Tinne Van der Straeten. The Brussels resident has had a career as a lawyer in energy law and has built up a lot of credibility in the business world. In recent years, Groen has lacked credibility when unfolding its climate plans. Van der Straeten will have to work closely with the Minister of Green Deal, who will go to Ecolo.
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Green is also given the somewhat boring powers of Public Enterprises and Civil Service. It is not yet clear to whom this portfolio will go.
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Ecolo will run with Mobility and NMBS, for Georges Gilkinet, who will also become Deputy Prime Minister. Former party co-chairwoman Zakia Khattabi, who was voted out as a judge in the Constitutional Court this year, will become Minister of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development. Finally, Sara Schlitz from Liège will become State Secretary for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity.
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Open VLD: Van Quickenborne as a watchdog
In any case, the Flemish parties are the winners of the division of powers. Open VLD also receives heavy posts with Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne. The mayor of Kortrijk has to break his word to his local voters, but takes the gamble. Van Quickenborne will be an essential link for Open VLD in the government. While De Croo has to constantly seek compromise, Van Quickenborne has to play the right-wing liberal, who makes it difficult for the socialists.
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The image of a French-speaking government dominated by this casting is firmly countered.
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De Croo also adds budget oversight to his package, through a Budget Secretary who works under him. That will be the Flemish Brabant Eva De Bleeker. She chairs the women’s section of the party, was on the European list and works at the European Commission.
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Open VLD may also provide the president of the Senate, but that name is not yet known. The Liberals have five senators: Els Ampe, Stephanie D’Hose, Rik Daems, Tom Ongena and Willem-Frederik Schiltz. So it becomes one of them.
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MR: big loser
The French-speaking liberals are the big losers. From seven ministers, they fall back on two ministers and a state secretary. Sophie Wilmès gets Foreign Affairs, which yields little visibility. David Clarinval becomes Minister of Agriculture and the Self-employed. Denis Ducarme is named as State Secretary for digitization. So light wallets.
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Flemish minority, but best posts
The image of a French-speaking government dominated by this casting is firmly countered. That was probably the intention. Nevertheless, the policy pursued will have to show whether Open VLD and CD&V are capable of resisting the spending drive of the socialists and greens.
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