Maxime Prévot, leader of the centrist party Les Engagés, has called for Belgium's French-speaking parties to consider a state reform which would "tidy up" Brussels and Wallonia's institutions. The other parties are yet to respond to his calls.
During a radio interview on Friday morning, Prévot invited his "counterparts" to seriously discuss a potential seventh state reform, after next year's federal elections.
Amending the country's constitution features in many parties' plans, with the Flemish nationalists N-VA calling for further "confederalisation" of the Belgian State, which they see as "non-negotiable" in any future government negotiations.
Related News
- Former Walloon Minister defects from 'Trump-like' liberal party MR
- 'No place for irony in politics': Magnette backlash for Flanders vs. Wallonia joke
Among the francophone parties, however, proposals for state reform have garnered much less support, with Prévot the only major politician coming out in favour. "I still cannot explain why my counterparts, even though I have invited them to this meeting, refuse to allow us to meet and map out this common destiny," he added.
For the centrist leader, amending the constitution "would allow us to put our country back on its feet and restore healthy finances," but only if French-speaking parties develop a strategy "which we currently lack."
Yet the gap between parties seems to be growing. Even within parties, Prévot admitted that he diverges on environmental matters from his new colleague and Wallonia's Budget Minister Jean-Luc Crucke, who recently defected to Les Engagés from the liberal MR party.
Translation of tweet: "Regarding the environment, there were a lot of convergences, Maxime Prévot said of Jean-Luc Crucke."
