Brussels government coalition requires complex negotiations

The two sides in the government of the Brussels-Capital Region – French-speaking and Dutch-speaking – have reached a majority ready to begin negotiations for the creation of a governing coalition. Earlier yesterday, three French-speaking parties – PS, cdH and FDF – said they were ready to form a majority. By evening the Dutch-speaking parties Open VLD, SP.A and CD&V had also come to an agreement.

The Flemish parties represent the classical tripartite coalition that governed the region from 2004 to 2009 under minister-president Charles Picqué. From 2009 until last month’s election, the tripartite coalition was augmented by Groen, which provided Bruno De Lille, the secretary of state for mobility and equal opportunities.

Groen has now been left out, despite its share of the vote in May having gone up from 11 to 18%, which, according to party president Wouter Van Besien, goes agains the wishes of the electorate.

Open VLD and CD&V ruled out the possibility of taking part in a coalition that includes the far-right francophone party FDF, which, with its 12 seats in the Brussels parliament, is required for the other two parties to form a majority.

In Wallonia, meanwhile, PS and cdH agreed to form a majority for the government of that region. The pact between the two parties, both in Brussels and in Wallonia, was said by analysts to reduce the room for manoeuvre available to NVA party president Bart De Wever in putting together a coalition at federal level.

De Wever favours French-speaking liberals MR over the socialist PS, yet he also requires cdH to make the numbers work. CdH, however, is unlikely to put its relations with PS at risk in two governments to oblige De Wever in a third. De Wever yesterday declined to comment on the latest developments.