Almost all Brussels municipalities have hammered out coalition agreements following local elections on Sunday 13 October. But there are three communes holding up the show: what is going on in Molenbeek, Forest and Schaerbeek?
Negotiating dynamics differ across the three municipalities, but one trend runs throughout, and that is the radical left Belgian Workers Party (PTB-PVDA) and its probable ascent to power for the first time in French-speaking Belgium.
"In all three communes, the majorities no longer have a majority in a way," Kevin Meyvaert, a PHD researcher at VUB, told The Brussels Times. This forces them to cast out the net for a governing partner.
Molenbeek is now seen as a PTB stronghold, while left-wing parties in Forest are determined to keep the right-wing liberals Mouvement Réformateur (MR) out of power and a socialist-liberal spat in Schaerbeek has made an alliance with PTB unavoidable from the Socialist Party's (PS) point of view.
Let's take a look.
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean: Left-wing coalition certain
Catherine Moureaux (PS) pictured in Molenbeek-Saint-Jean on the evening of the local elections, Sunday 14 October 2018. Credit: Belga / Hatim Kaghat
A coalition between the Socialist Party (PS) and PTB is almost certain in Molenbeek. The two parties have a slim majority but are looking for a third partner to consolidate their power.
While Ecolo-Groen have announced that they will go into "critical but constructive" opposition, it remains to be seen whether Team Fouad Ahidar or local list Molenbeek Autrement will make the cut.
If PTB enters power in Molenbeek, it is expected that this development will trigger similar coalitions in Forest and Schaerbeek.
Find out more about each party programme in Molenbeek here.
Forest: 'We are taking our time'
Forest town hall. Credit: Belga / Christophe Ketels
In Forest, the four best-performing lists finished neck-and-neck: MR+DéFI with 25.8%, PS-Vooruit with 24.8%, PTB-PVDA with 21.2% and Ecolo-Groen with 20.8%.
Over two-thirds of Forest residents voted left and the outgoing PS-Ecolo coalition is keen to respect this desire for progressive governance. They are therefore looking to keep MR+DéFI out of the council and are currently engaging in "exploratory discussions" with PTB.
The greens are showing increasing openness to governing with the radical left. List leader Séverine De Laveleye rejects the right-wing argument that a cordon sanitaire is in place for the PTB, as national political parties agreed to never govern with the far-right in 1989.
"There has never been a cordon sanitaire around PTB for the simple reason that, unlike Vlaams Belang or other extreme right-wing parties, they do not have racist ideals and they respect human rights," she told The Brussels Times.
However, "they are a party unlike any other," which is why talks are progressing slowly. "We haven't found an agreement in 24 hours like in other communes. We are taking our time."
Find out more about each party programme in Forest here.
Schaerbeek: Socialist mayorship is 'non-negotiable'
Schaerbeek town hall. Credit: Belga
Over in Schaerbeek, the road to a new council has been full of twists and turns. Outgoing mayor Bernard Clerfayt (DéFI) performed exceptionally poorly following a 23-year reign, with the Liste du Bourgmestre losing more than half of its seats and finishing in fifth place (12.6%).
PS and MR-Les Engagés are now locked in a tussle for the mayorship. Although PS came first with 19.2% and was technically entitled to the role, things became complicated when 1030 Ensemble candidate Sait Köse announced he had defected from his list and joined MR instead.
This would have given the liberals one more seat than the socialists (the party was already second with 18.2%). However, following a demonstration outside the municipal hall, Köse reversed his decision.
Either way, the dust has not yet settled. PS says its right to the mayorship is "non-negotiable" and is leading talks with PTB and Ecolo to form a left-wing coalition.
On the topic of governing with the radical left, PS' Brussels leader Ahmed Laaouej stated that the party has "no other option" partly due to the conflict with MR.
Find out more about each party programme in Schaerbeek here.
Impact on Brussels formation
When can we expect some sort of agreement? Hard to tell, says Meyvaert.
"I think the question is how much these local coalitions will impact on regional government formation. The local agreements will have to come before a Brussels government is formed, so it could be by the end of this month or early next month."
