MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez intends to represent his party in Brussels Government talks after deciding not to take a ministerial post in the Federal Government.
Following almost nine months of Federal Government negotiations during which Bouchez played a decisive role, the leader of the Francophone liberals will not become a minister in the resulting coalition.
He denies the decision to be a result of internecine conflict in his party and says he did not want to act as both minister and party leader, as "both positions are more than full-time roles".
"All options were considered," he said.
Focus on Brussels
Instead, he will focus on Brussels Government negotiations, which have been at an impasse for months now too.
Speaking at the presentation of MR's federal ministers on Monday morning, Bouchez explained that David Leisterh would continue to act as formator (the one leading the talks) while Bouchez would represent the liberal party.
"David Leisterh is the formator in charge of reaching a compromise. I am the MR negotiator. David holds Bart’s [De Wever's] position during the federal negotiations, and I am in my role," he said.
Bouchez also highlighted the significance of the new Federal Government for ongoing talks in Brussels and said an agreement must be reached by March.
According to the MR leader, Brussels has the worst financial situation among the entities in the country. He described a "dramatic" security situation and "terrible" socio-economic challenges.
