The negotiators of the parties looking to form the Federal Government together are meeting on Monday and Tuesday. This marks the first time that all five parties will sit around the table together since N-VA leader Bart De Wever was sent into the field by the King.
The negotiators of right-wing N-VA, socialist Vooruit, centrist CD&V, liberal MR and centrist Les Engagés are meeting on Monday afternoon for a presentation by the National Bank on the budget and the macroeconomic outlook of the country.
On Tuesday afternoon, the country's Chief of Defence will speak about the necessary investments in his department. The five parties will also discuss nuclear power plants with the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control.
Last week, De Wever's assignment as informator to form a new Federal Government ended and the King appointed him 'preformator'. For Vooruit and Les Engagés, it is still too early to start concrete negotiations as they only met with N-VA briefly.
Deliberate delay?
Vooruit's Conner Rousseau previously suggested to Het Laatste Nieuws that De Wever is deliberately delaying the formation. "I fear that De Wever will not form a Federal Government and become Prime Minister before the municipal elections. He loves being Antwerp Mayor too much. It suits him particularly well that he can blame the socialists for the delay."
N-VA denies that De Wever is deliberately delaying the government formation until the local elections on 13 October. "The opposite is true. The aim is to form a Federal Government as soon as possible. The urgency is high."
