MR and Vooruit could potentially work together to form a federal government, but the “Lagon” coalition with Open VLD is still on the table, said Georges-Louis Bouchez (MR) in Le Soir on Saturday.
The liberal leader emphasised that the priority should be to establish a government quickly, warning that Belgium is "on the brink of budgetary collapse".
On Friday, Vooruit expressed readiness to resume negotiations to form a federal government within the Arizona coalition framework, which includes the N-VA, MR, Les Engagés, and the CD&V.
Previously, the Flemish socialists had left the negotiations due to Bart De Wever’s proposals, which did not allow for discussions on an "equitable distribution of efforts".
In Le Soir on Saturday, Bouchez emphasised that the government agreement must reflect election results. He stated that Conner Rousseau, president of Vooruit, must understand that given the power dynamics, there need to be something for Vooruit in the agreement, but the overall tone cannot be left-leaning; it must be centre-right.
Bouchez argued that the electorate has leaned more to the right, and this needs to be respected.
He also noted that MR and Vooruit are not irreconcilable "if each accepts the other’s space", noting that if the coalition agreement included a significant reduction in taxes on workers, other concessions could be made by MR.
In an interview with Laatste Nieuws published on Saturday, Bouchez stated that the fastest route to a government is with the Open VLD and without Vooruit.
