New Coalition Proposal Aims to Resolve Brussels Government Stalemate
Brussels facilitator Yvan Verougstraete has unveiled a plan to break the 15-month deadlock in forming a new regional government. He has put forward a seven-party coalition that would exclude the Flemish nationalists of N-VA, reports 24brussels.
Verougstraete’s proposal seeks to unite the liberal party MR, socialist PS, Les Engagés, Groen, Open VLD, Vooruit, and CD&V into a functioning coalition. To ensure support from Dutch-speaking parties, the francophone parties MR and PS will forfeit a secretary of state position each. CD&V will secure a seat, while another will be allocated to a representative from civil society.
In response to the exclusion of N-VA, Verougstraete proposed that the party could serve as an observer within the Common Community Commission (COCOM), which is responsible for managing bilingual competencies in Brussels, including health, culture, and social services.
The new proposal was revealed during a press conference following two weeks of bilateral negotiations. Verougstraete expressed hope that the formateur, David Leisterh from MR, could gather the seven parties for discussions on Tuesday or Wednesday.
MR has already accepted this compromise; however, PS and Open VLD have yet to provide a definitive response. A crucial factor will be whether Open VLD is willing to abandon its longstanding insistence on including N-VA in exchange for a ministerial position in Verougstraete’s plan.
