The Open VLD would be prepared to support the next Brussels government without having a seat in it, and to make do with, among other things, a government commissioner who would become responsible for the budget, several sources said on Thursday.
This would pave the way for a four-party majority on the Dutch-speaking side: Groen, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA), Open VLD and Vooruit, the sources noted.
However, Groen's Elke Van den Brandt, who is leading the negotiations on the Dutch-speaking side, described the announcement of such an agreement as "premature" and declined to comment.
Four parties, three portfolios
Another source indicated that this formula had already appeared earlier in the negotiations, but had not been successful.
The search for a majority on the Dutch-speaking side in Brussels has been made difficult by the fact that, apart from a Groen-Team Ahidar-Vooruit formula, rejected by several parties, particularly French-speaking ones, there is no tripartite option.
However, the search for a four-party majority is stymied by the number of portfolios allocated to Dutch speakers in the Brussels government, which is limited to three.
The options of an additional Dutch-speaking Secretary of State or the transfer of a French-speaking Secretary of State to the Dutch-speakers have come up against practical objections or problems of perception.
Strengthening the post of Government Commissioner
The option of a mandate split into two periods was also rejected.
This is why the option of strengthening the position of Government Commissioner was suggested.
Socialist Alain Hutchinson, currently in charge of relations with Europe and international organisations, is due to retire shortly. Earlier this month, David Leisterh (Mouvement Réformateur), who is coordinating the negotiations on the French-speaking side, suggested extending the powers of the Government Commissioner to budgetary control.
This function should fall to the smallest of the four formations in the running, in this case Vooruit, which obtained the same number of seats as the N-VA and Open Vld (2), behind Groen (4), but with fewer votes.
Observers adopt cautious wait-and-see stance
However, Open VLD now seems ready to take on this role, plus that of deputy speaker of parliament and the presidency of the assembly of the Flemish Community Commission.
Another unknown factor remains to be resolved in the equation: the names circulating on the Dutch-speaking side are all female, whereas the law, in a bid to protect women, requires the presence of at least one person of the opposite sex.
Groen expects Elke Van den Brandt to return to government. The N-VA would reportedly opt for a double mandate for Cieltje Van Achter, already a minister in the Flemish government. At Vooruit, the name of outgoing Secretary of State Ans Persoons seems to be a certainty.
The information was described as premature by various sources, who, without disputing the existence of this lead, refused to validate it on Friday.
"We have often been close to an agreement in recent weeks, but we have failed. So we have to wait and see," commented a source close to the negotiators.
