Negotiations to seek a local government coalition in Schaerbeek have been mired in stalemate for two months. However, there seems to be some movement, as a four-party working meeting is taking place on Monday.
Most Brussels communes formed municipal councils within days of the local elections on 13 October, with Forest and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean taking slightly longer. However, two months on from the elections, parties in Schaerbeek have still not found a coalition agreement.
PS (19.2%) and the joint MR&Les Engagés 1030 list (18.2%) emerged neck and neck, both securing 10 of the 47 seats. Talks were at a standstill, partly due to the MR&Les Engagés list's reluctance to consider the possible mayoralty of PS leader Hasan Koyuncu – the PS has a slight edge in percentage.
However, the Socialist Party (PS) of Schaerbeek announced on Sunday that a four-party working meeting will take place on Monday, initiated by Koyuncu. This marks the first multilateral meeting since the elections on 13 October.
"This Monday, a working meeting involving representatives from PS, MR-LE, Ecolo, and the Mayor’s List will be held at Schaerbeek City Hall," the local PS branch said.
Finding common ground
A coalition including PS, MR-Les Engagés, Ecolo, and the Mayor’s List would provide Schaerbeek with a comfortable majority of 35 seats.
This meeting follows bilateral exchanges held over the past few weeks. The goal is "to identify common ground for a joint project for the people of Schaerbeek, supported by the four lists".
"Two months after the municipal elections, this is the first meeting of its kind involving the four political groups," the local branch of the French-speaking socialists party noted.
Ecolo won nine seats in the 13 October elections. Together with PS and MR&Les Engagés 1030, it has a significant lead over the other lists that ran in the municipality: PTB and the Mayor’s List both won six seats each, Team Fouad Ahidar won four seats and 1030 Ensemble led by independent liberal Georges Verzin won two seats.
