Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V) have responded to the claims they are blocking the formation of the Brussels Government by claiming Groen formator Elke Van den Brandt "has not done her homework properly."
Van den Brandt has brought together Groen (Flemish greens), Open VLD (liberals) and Vooruit (socialists) in a bid to form the Dutch-speaking side of the next Brussels Government. Together, they have eight seats of the 17 reserved for Dutch speakers – meaning one party is still missing to form a majority.
The three parties are therefore looking to centrist CD&V, but the leader of the Brussels section, Benjamin Dalle, has pushed back as it would mean governing with the same three parties that were also in charge of the Brussels-Capital Region in the previous legislature. "I have no confidence that there will be better policies if we support a government with those parties," he said on Flemish radio.
All Brussels parties hoping to form a government together sat around the table for the first time on Monday: MR, Les Engagés and the Socialist Party (PS) on the Francophone side, Groen, Vooruit and Open VLD on the Dutch-speaking side. CD&V was also welcome, but declined the invitation.
One seat
Van den Brandt has been trying to get CD&V on board for several weeks. With Benjamin Dalle (who is currently Flemish Minister for Brussels), the party has one elected member in the Brussels Parliament.
"In the past five years, Brussels has really not been governed well. The budget has been disastrous, there has been no approach to the drugs crisis and insufficient respect for the Dutch language," Dalle said. "No decisive governance has been delivered in general. For CD&V to then become their fourth partner and ensure that all of this can continue? I will not."
Additionally, with just one seat in the 89-seat Parliament, Dalle is afraid his party will not be able to carry enough weight. "With one seat, it is rather strange to sit in the majority."
In the Brussels Government, there is only room for three Dutch-speakers ministers or state secretaries. As CD&V would become the fourth (and smallest) party in the coalition, Dalle would not be able to take up such a position.
Flemish Minister for Brussels Benjamin Dalle (CD&V). Credit: Belga
"I am not concerned about a mandate but if you do not have a ministerial position, it is very difficult to make a difference," he said. "I have no confidence that the government would create better policies if I am not part of it, but do support it."
Political scientist Carl Devos (UGent) told Bruzz the idea among the capital's French speakers is now that "Brussels, with its difficult budgetary situation, is being held hostage by one man with barely 2,000 votes."
However, Dalle does not accept that he and his party are being blamed for blocking the Brussels formation. "Elke Van den Brandt has not done her homework. She should look at all the options."
He thinks Van den Brandt should first of all look at Team Fouad Ahidar and rightwing N-VA (which won three and two seats, respectively) to form a government. "If talks with N-VA only happened last week and they are not talking seriously with Ahidar, that is not my responsibility, is it?"
Crossing the language border
Groen, Vooruit and Team Fouad Ahidar together have enough seats to form a majority, and Ahidar has repeatedly made it clear that he would like to join the Brussels Government. "I have heard that neither Elke Van den Brandt nor Ans Persoons from Vooruit have a veto against him. Why don't they seriously negotiate with him?"
On the French-speaking side of the formation process, liberal MR – the biggest party in the Capital Region – expressed its veto against Team Fouad Ahidar, on the grounds it believes the party "wants to bring religion back into politics," MR party leader David Leisterh said in June. The chances of the socialist PS joining forces with Flemish nationalists N-VA also seem extremely slim.
Theoretically, the Francophone majority in the Brussels Government does not have any say over the formation process on the Dutch-speaking side (or vice versa). In practice, however, the opinions of the other side of the language border are usually taken into account, with a view to forming a uniform and coherent government.
Still, Dalle does not completely rule out that CD&V will eventually join the Brussels Government. "The formator has to look thoroughly at the different options. And we want to play a constructive role in that."
