“There’s no point in trying. Even talking. The PS and N-VA are completely incompatible,” reiterated Laurette Onkelinx for L’Echo on Saturday.
Onkelinx will once again be President of the Brussels Socialist party (PS) in autumn.
“If the N-VA wants to talk to the PS about confederalism at federal government level, that’s a total deal-breaker. That much is clear. The PS don’t want it as it would damage the country and social security,” she said.
“The press is saying the PS is under increasing pressure. That’s crazy because it’s actually the N-VA who are constantly changing their mind. Before the election, they wouldn’t even have considered talking to the PS. Now, they’re almost pleading with us to sit down and talk to them.”
“There are ways to form a government without the N-VA or the PS,” Onkelinx said, when asked about solutions to break the dead-lock.
“They just need to look for them. They need a plan that includes a draft government agreement and then they can see who’s interested. I think there will be some surprises.”
The former minister also talked about forming a Flemish government. “The Swedish coalition (N-VA, Open Vld and CD&V) being negotiated under Jan Jambon’s iron rule is not a surprise,” she explained.
“It’s normal for the N-VA to look for more right-wing partners, like we looked for progressive partners in Brussels and Wallonia.”
The Brussels Times
