'Battle of egos': Brussels Government formation remains deadlocked

'Battle of egos': Brussels Government formation remains deadlocked
Outgoing Federal Minister for Climate, Environment and Sustainable Development Zakia Khattabi. Credit: Belga

The negotiations to form the Brussels Government have been deadlocked for months and are being stalled by a "battle of egos," according to Brussels Ecolo leader and outgoing Federal Climate Minister Zakia Khattabi.

The formation of a new government in the Brussels-Capital Region is at a standstill because the PS (which would form the French-speaking majority together with MR and Les Engagés), does not want to negotiate with N-VA (which would form the Dutch-speaking majority together with Groen, Vooruit and Open VLD).

"The talks are blocked because of nothing more than a battle of egos," Khattabi said on Bel RTL on Wednesday.

'Humiliation and insults'

Just before Christmas, Brussels' French-speaking formator David Leisterh (MR) – flanked by MR party leader Georges-Louis Bouchez – tried to unblock the negotiations in the capital by inviting the federal leaders of the French-speaking parties to the table. However, they did not take him up on that invitation and sent their Brussels leaders to the meeting.

No solution was found and the formation remains blocked. According to Khattabi, who was at the table for Ecolo, the French-speaking liberals of MR do not seem to be immediately moving towards reconciliation.

"Georges-Louis Bouchez has elevated humiliation and insults to a negotiating technique," Khattabi said. "If you meet with politicians who have governed the Capital Region for 20 years and your first remark is that the region has been governed by incompetents for 20 years, that does not really want to make you negotiate."

Brussels Regional Parliament. Credit: Belga / Hatim Kaghat

During the Christmas holidays, very little progress has been made but there have been "a number of contacts" between negotiators. On Monday, Leisterh has briefly been in contact with his Dutch-speaking counterpart Elke Van den Brandt (Groen).

"The situation is very difficult and even though there are several options on the table, they all assume that the various partners will make compromises to ultimately offer a government to the people of Brussels," Leisterh's office told Belga News Agency.

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