N-VA leader and federal formator Bart De Wever will meet with King Philippe to update him on the progress of Federal Government formation talks on Tuesday. As the deadline approaches, what shape are negotiations in?
As formator, De Wever is responsible for leading government formation talks and updating the King on how things are going. The King has the authority to revoke De Wever's role and grant it to one of the other political party leaders involved in negotiations.
Recent comments from De Wever suggest that if the prospective 'Arizona' coalition made up of N-VA, Mouvement Réformateur, CD&V, Les Engagés and Vooruit fails to reach an agreement by the end of January, it is as good as dead.
"There's an end to everything. It's a buffet that you have to eat now or you have to leave the room," he told Dutch-speaking media on Thursday.
He also set a hard deadline for the first time since talks began in June. The pressure is on and Belgium's probable next Prime Minister has expressed hope that his royal appointment on Tuesday will be the last in this long-winded process.
'Get on with it'
All federal negotiators have been asked to keep their schedules on Monday free. CD&V leader Sammy Mahdi has echoed De Wever's cautious optimism, stating on Friday that "it is important for us to get on with it."
"Everyone must get out of the trenches and realise that we need a good agreement that takes into account the sensitivities of the left and the right. We will have to form this government together," he said.
De Wever's socio-economic "supernote" is the sticking point in talks. The 130-page document proposes saving €20 billion through reforms to the labour market, taxation and pensions but has been criticised by Vooruit (as well as Les Engagés and CD&V to a lesser extent) for placing the financial burden on ordinary people rather than the super-rich.
Bart De Wever (N-VA). Credit: Belga/Nicolas Maeterlinck
The supernote is the subject of the latest "intensive" phase of talks and the experience has reportedly been constructive so far.
When Belgians voted on 9 June, the best-performing parties believed they would be able to form a government relatively quickly. However, almost seven months later and negotiations are the third-longest in the country's history.
Members of Arizona tout the coalition as the only viable option. De Wever has called it "the best bad idea we have."
