The Socialist Party (PS) has entered into local government with the Belgian Workers' Party (PTB) in the Brussels municipality of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean after weeks of negotiations.
Mayor of Molenbeek Catherine Moureaux (PS) told Belga News Agency that an agreement had been reached on Tuesday.
"Catherine Moureaux (PS), Saliha Raïss (Vooruit) and Dirk De Block (PTB) are pleased to announce that their discussions have resulted in a strong and coherent agreement to form a progressive majority in Molenbeek," she stated.
The agreement will soon be presented to the three parties' General Assemblies (GAs), who must approve the coalition. After this step, PS-Vooruit and PTB will reveal the details of the arrangement on Sunday morning, a few hours before the new council's inauguration.
PTB in power again
The PS-Vooruit and PTB lists will hold 23 of the 45 council seats.
PS-Vooruit, led by Moureaux, won the Molenbeek elections on 13 October, despite losing five of the 17 seats it held in the previous legislature. The PTB-PVDA list closely followed with 11 seats, up by four.
This marks the fourth time PTB has entered local government in Belgium and the second time in Brussels. The radical left party entered government in Zelzate (East Flanders) in 2018, but lost the elections this time round. PS and Ecolo formed a coalition with the party in Mons in Wallonia on 8 November and did so again in Forest in Brussels on 12 November.
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Talks in Molenbeek have taken weeks to produce a result as PS and PTB only had a slim majority as a pair. They were therefore searching for a third coalition partner to make their mandate stronger.
"In recent weeks, we have worked extensively in a climate of calm and trust. We are convinced that the social and ambitious project led by our three parties meets the needs of Molenbeek's residents," said Moureaux.
MR-Open VLD secured eight seats, and Team Fouad Ahidar secured seven.
The Molenbeek Autrement list, led by former CdH-Engagés member Ahmed El Khanouss, obtained four seats, Ecolo-Groen got two, and Les Engagés-CD&V got one.
