One month on from Belgium's local elections on 13 October, two Brussels communes are at an impasse with no agreement in sight. With Forest finally forming a municipal council on Tuesday, will Schaerbeek and Molenbeek soon follow suit?
Most Brussels communes formed municipal councils within days of the local elections on 13 October, all except for Forest, Schaerbeek and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. Forest finally broke the deadlock on Tuesday when the Socialist Party (PS), Ecolo and the Belgian Workers Party (PTB) formed a coalition, marking the radical left-wing PTB's first time in local government in Brussels.
The development follows an alliance between the same three parties in Mons, Wallonia, and has similarly raised the ire of liberals from the Mouvement Réformateur (MR) party.
MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez called the Mons agreement a "coalition of shame", while other party members rushed to condemn the radical left's ascension to power in Forest. Critics say an alliance with PTB breaches Belgium's cordon sanitaire but this is false: the cordon sanitaire introduced in 1989 prevents parties from governing with the far-right Vlaams Blok (Vlaams Belang) for its racist and anti-human rights beliefs.
PTB, although contentious, does not espouse the same anti-democratic principles. Mainstream parties take issue with the radical left for its refusal to condemn authoritarian regimes in China and Venezuela, as well as unrealistic policy goals that are incompatible with EU treaties. PS officials say these problems will not impact governance at the local level.
The coalition in Forest might kickstart similar alliances in Molenbeek and Schaerbeek. But negotiations in both communes are frozen by complex local dynamics.
Schaerbeek
Discussions have soured in Schaerbeek partly due to a bitter dispute about which party has the right to the mayorship.
PS won the most seats and technically had a right to leadership, but when 1030 Ensemble candidate Sait Köse defected from his list to join MR, this gave the liberals the upper hand by one seat. Köse has since reversed his decision but neither PS nor MR have renounced their mayoral ambitions.
Place Meiser in Schaerbeek. Credit: Belga / Bas Bogaerts
In addition, PS has accused MR of rejecting its list leader Hasan Koyuncu as the mayor on racist grounds. The dispute deepened when MR candidate Melissa Amirkhizy posted a photo on social media that insinuated that the Mons coalition was formed along communitarian lines to the benefit of men of Middle Eastern origin.
The post has since been deleted, but PS Brussels leader Ahmed Laaouej criticised it for being "racist and xenophobic." Amirkhizy has filed a complaint for libel and hate speech following Yusuf Yildiz' (PS) alleged death threat via social media.
Cette dame est présidente de l’Assemblée consultative du MR et était candidate sur les listes du MR à Ganshoren. Cela ne fait pas de ce parti, un parti raciste, certes. Mais qu’on ne vienne pas nous dire qu’il n’y a pas de problème de racisme ou de xénophobie dans ce parti. pic.twitter.com/4HG6KobxcM
— Ahmed Laaouej (@AhmedLaaouej) November 8, 2024
Translation: "This lady is president of the MR Consultative Assembly and was a candidate on the MR list in Ganshoren. No, this does not make the MR a racist party, but don't tell us that there is no problem of racism or xenophobia."
"Orders are orders! One phone call and a life can be wiped out if need be," Yildiz said, allegedly referring to party orders to Amirkhizy to delete the original post.
Amid all of this, Ecolo-Groen have called for more civil negotiations in Schaerbeek. Despite MR's strong opposition to a PS-PTB agreement, the socialists are now negotiating with the radical left.
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean
Molenbeek is a PTB stronghold and talks with PS are underway. The two parties would only have a slim majority (12 and 11 seats, respectively) and need a third partner, but there is still no clarity about who this might be.
Brussels Canal in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. Credit: Belga / Hatim Kaghat
Ecolo-Groen has committed to staying in opposition, and the remaining obvious options are Team Fouad Ahidar and local list Molenbeek Autrement. List leader of Molenbeek Autrement Ahmed El Khannouss says there have been no attempts to speak to his party in the wake of local elections.
PS-Vooruit et PTB continuent leurs rencontres pour trouver un troisième partenaire et créer la majorité la plus progressiste et stable possible à Molenbeek. Nous comptons aboutir à un accord d’ici fin novembre. #molenbeek
— Catherine Moureaux (@catmoureaux) November 8, 2024
Translation: "PS-Vooruit and PTB are continuing their meetings to find a third partner and create the most progressive and stable majority possible in Molenbeek. We expect to reach an agreement by the end of November."
Outgoing mayor Catherine Moureaux (PS) is hoping to hold onto her post and says talks should bear fruit by the end of the month.
All municipalities have until 3 December to form a council.
