European Commissioner Didier Reynders believes the foundation for the future federal coalition should be in place before 21 July.
Preformator Bart De Wever is set to report to the King this Wednesday. A meeting between the five parties anticipated to form the “Arizona” coalition – the N-VA, MR, Engagés, Vooruit and the CD&V – is due for early next week to assess if they can now move into the proper formation stage of a government.
Reynders explained during an interview with RTL-TV1 that ideally, the federal coalition would be established before Belgium’s National Day on 21 July, and potentially, a government would be in place by mid-September before the communal elections take place in October; however, he allows for the possibility of a longer process.
The prospective government could be led by the nationalist party leader, Bart De Wever; a prospect Reynders doesn’t worry about. He pointed out that other pronounced Flemish claimants had previously held this position.
“If you look at the past, we’ve had several prime ministers from the north of the country with very strong regional believes: Wilfried Martens or Guy Verhofstadt. When he (Mr. Verhofstadt) published his books on state reform, he was very committed to institutional issues. The challenge lies in forming a government. It’s up to the French-speaking MR and Engagés parties to make their voices heard,” Reynders said.
Reynders praised the election victory of his successor Georges-Louis Bouchez which he sees as the result of a clear conservative message saving them from extreme right-wing ideologies.
Finally, Reynders expressed his belief that Bouchez will remain as the MR’s president, a role he had also vied for. “If a party finds itself in several majorities – which will probably be the case for the MR – it also needs someone to continue coordinating and defending strong ideas to public opinion. And Georges-Louis Bouchez is well placed to do just that,” Reynders pointed out.
