Brussels (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Brussels’ political crisis deepens as coalition talks stall, with French-speaking parties uniting while Flemish factions struggle. Elke Van den Brandt faces pressure, and unconventional solutions may be necessary.
The liberal leader said he’d get creative with the rules to fix the Brussels political mess and told Elke Van den Brandt to quit complaining on TV. The Brussels government is stuck. Some French-speaking parties are coming together, but the Flemish side can’t form a coalition, so there’s no Brussels government in sight. Since the three French-speaking parties suggested delaying the LEZ restrictions by two years, things have gotten trickier, especially since this issue is crucial to the Greens’ agenda.
What unconventional solutions can resolve Brussels’ coalition impasse?
Van den Brandt gave up trying to form a coalition because she thinks the MR only wants support from Groen without giving in on Dutch-speaking Green issues, particularly about mobility. Fouad Ahidar’s team currently has the upper hand in negotiations on the Dutch-speaking side. Ahidar is trying to team up with Vooruit and Groen, but some potential partners like the Liberals, N-VA, and the Engages are blocking the way.
If the Greens cause trouble in Brussels, we might need to find unconventional solutions. We won’t let Brussels stay stuck between Van den Brandt and Ahidar. We’ll keep looking for options, but Bouchez wants to govern Brussels with the Flemish. “We’ll follow the rules,” he said. “I get that Van den Brandt doesn’t want to talk until after the local elections. Hopefully, she’ll change her mind after the 14th of October,” he added.
