Brussels MP Ans Persoons (Vooruit) is questioning whether formator David Leisterh (MR) is still the right person to find a new coalition for the regional government in the Belgian capital.
Six months after the elections, the Brussels formation process is back to square one. "Maybe it’s time for someone else, like a mediator, to take on this role for a while," the Flemish socialist told De Morgen in an interview. Persoons is the outgoing Secretary of State for the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for urban planning, European and international relations.
In Brussels, majority agreements must be found on both Dutch-speaking and French-speaking sides before talks for a new regional government can begin. While finding an agreement on the Dutch side proved tricky at the start, the issue is now on the French-speaking side.
In early December, the Socialist Party (PS) withdrew from the negotiations, mainly over the inclusion of N-VA and the reforms put forward by the Dutch-speaking agreement for Brussels, which included merging police zones and municipalities.
Formator Leisterh then took a different approach, attempting to bring Les Engagés, DéFI, and Ecolo to the negotiation table, despite his party MR having been fierce critics of Ecolo in their electoral campaign. However, after the French-speaking greens met on on Tuesday, the confirmed that they would remain in opposition.
Credit: Ans Persoons
"He needs to take firmer control," Persoons said on Thursday. "A formator must engage in extensive talks with all parties to understand their sensitivities."
"It’s crucial to know why N-VA focuses heavily on institutional matters and why N-VA is at odds with PS. Also, understanding why Open VLD acts as though they haven’t held the Budget Minister position for the past 25 years is important.”
Persoons suggested that maybe someone else should temporarily step into the role. “A mediator distanced from the parties could help. Ultimately, though, Leisterh must assume his leadership,” she stated.
According to her, everything should be reassessed, including MR's veto against Fouad Ahidar, PS' veto against N-VA, and pushing for a coalition with Flemish Christian Democrats, CD&V.
Moreover, calm must be restored. "How can politicians convince citizens if they constantly sow division themselves? We had a divisive election campaign filled with fake news and hidden WhatsApp groups. For the first time in a long while, I see division between Dutch-speakers and French-speakers. Wounds have been inflicted, and we can only heal them by standing together as one city. But first, we need to sit together at one table."
