Despite not being based in Brussels, the leader of the Francophone liberal MR party Georges-Louis Bouchez is continuing his attack on the Good Move plan, while lashing out at Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt and her intentions for the Brussels Government.
In Brussels, the largest Dutch-speaking party (Groen) and the largest French-speaking party (MR) are diametrically opposed to each other when it comes to the Good Move plan – making mobility a make-or-break point in the region's government formation process.
"We will no longer leave mobility to Dutch speakers. I have a number of solutions to bury Good Move," Bouchez said on LN24 last night. "I would like to remind Ms Van den Brandt that she is proud of her great success in the Dutch-speaking council – which concerns four seats. MR has 20."
The liberals have been attacking the plan almost since the greens introduced it. Bouchez – whose party won the most votes in the Francophone part of Brussels and is therefore in charge of forming the French-speaking majority in the Regional Parliament – is seemingly still in campaigning mode.
'Holding the city hostage'
Bouchez "invited" Van den Brandt to compare her personal score with the majority of the French-speaking candidates. "Looking at the numbers, her score puts her at the level of the number 19 or 20 on our list. She could start toning it down a little."
However, this statement is incorrect. In absolute numbers, Van den Brandt's score (8,361 votes) is almost as high as that of number three on the MR list (8,867 votes). Moreover, this does not take into account that the Dutch-speaking electorate in Brussels is much smaller than the French-speaking one.
"[Groen] have already held Brussels hostage with Good Move. Do they want to hold the city hostage institutionally as well? I know there are other ways to bury Good Move," Bouchez said. "We won with a clear commitment. Van den Brandt must also accept the mathematical reality. It is called being a democrat."
According to Bouchez, it is also possible to bypass parliament. "So I do have solutions to put an end to Good Move. I can be creative," he said.
Groen's Elke Van den Brandt on election night. Credit: Belga / David Stockman
Van den Brandt, who is leading the talks to form a majority in the Dutch-speaking side of the Brussels Government, stated that forming a government should done by talking to each other, "not by making big statements in the press."
"Georges-Louis Bouchez is from Mons. He must form a Walloon Government, not involve himself in the Brussels formation talks. In Brussels, we fought so that the people of Brussels could organise themselves," Van den Brandt said. She hopes Bouchez will let the head of the MR Brussels list, David Leisterh, take his place.
"You will not reach an agreement by humiliating your majority partners," she added. "I have the impression that, despite all the big declarations, Georges-Louis Bouchez doesn't give a damn about Brussels."
Same objectives
However, Brussels has "real issues" that "must be taken seriously," she stressed, calling on all parties to "take up their responsibilities to form a government."
Van den Brandt also called for moving away from the "symbol" that Good Move has become for those who criticised it and instead remember what it is really about. "What is Good Move? It is about offering alternatives, more public transportation, road safety, and air quality. That is what we are discussing."
If the party leaders could sit around a table for serious discussions without making "big declarations in front of the cameras," Van den Brandt stated that solutions for the remaining problems could be found.
"We all agree on the objectives. We want our children to have clean air to breathe and better road safety, and we don't want to be stuck in traffic jams. The 'how' is now the debate."
