If the Vivaldi government’s image is so tarnished, it is the fault of MR president Georges-Louis Bouchez, according to Paul Magnette. “I’m not going to beat around the bush,” the PS president stated frankly in the Sunday newspaper De Zondag.
“From the start, he has argued, criticised decisions, blocked reforms,” the Socialist said of the president of coalition partner MR. “On VTM’s ‘Special Forces’ programme, Mr Bouchez was described as ‘dead weight’ for the group. I couldn’t have put it better myself. The government has wasted too much energy and time on him.”
Magnette believes that an agreement on the long-awaited tax reform is still possible. All parties, with the exception of MR, agree on the main principles.
The Iranian visa affair is separate from that discussion, and for the President of the PS, “we must not give the MR more power than it has. If Mr Bouchez blocks everything, we also have other options. The MR cannot be ignored. We can perfectly well form another majority with Les Engagés”.
Brussels Urban Summit
Belgian politics has seen a tumultuous two weeks after it transpired that the Brussels Urban Summit included a delegation of Iranian officials that had participated in the brutal suppression of civilians.
Many of Belgium's MPs called this arch hypocrisy in the wake of the only recent release of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele and demanded the resignation of those responsible for allowing the Iranian delegation to travel to Belgium.
However, whilst the Secretary of State for Brussels Pascal Smet did stand down, it became clear in subsequent questioning that Belgium's Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib had been instrumental in securing the necessary visas for the controversial guests.
Yet with Lahbib being hand-picked for the position by Bouchez, the latter has made it clear that any attempt to dislodge her will spark revolt from his party, which would likely prevent the delicate "Vivaldi" government coalition from functioning.
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For Magnette, a renewal of the current coalition after the 2024 elections would only be possible if the MR president changes his attitude. Indeed, the socialist party leader went so far as to say that far-right N-VA president Bart De Wever would be a more reliable government partner than Bouchez when it came to reaching agreements. But N-VA's fixation on confederalism remains unconscionable for most in Belgium's Federal Government at present.
In light of the comments, Bart De Wever again made clear his party's goal: "We aspire to confederalism. If Wallonia persists in leading this country into bankruptcy with a Flemish minority, we are counting on the Flemish voter to make this impossible. It is our prosperity that will be lost. Maintaining the status quo is not an option for the N-VA," he wrote on Twitter.
In Flanders, Vlaams Belang (previously too far right to be included in political partnerships) is rising sharply in the polls. Yet Magnette reaffirmed the PS’s position that there will be no negotiations with the far-right party. “If they want independence, let them hold a referendum. That’s the only democratic procedure. And maybe the time has come to do it. I really think so. In my opinion, 80 to 90% of Flanders residents will say ‘no’. This debate can then be thrown out for good.”
