Belgium (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Negotiations for Belgium’s new federal government are slow, with De Wever seeking a coalition of five parties before local elections on October 13.
Since the last meeting with the King, little progress has been made in setting up the new federal government. De Wever will likely get more time, maybe even until after the local elections on October 13.
What is slowing down Belgium’s coalition negotiations?
De Wever returned to work on September 2 to try and put together a government with five parties: N-VA, Vooruit, CD&V, MR, and Les Engages. Maxime Prêvot from Les Engages made it happen after De Wever’s first try at a coalition agreement failed because MR wouldn’t agree to give tax concessions to Vooruit in their “socio-economic super-note.”
Negotiations are going slower now. The groups discuss various topics daily, but the leaders have only gathered to establish basic guidelines. De Wever said a few days back that the talks are moving like a slow local train, not a fast one. This is because local elections are coming up in about three weeks.
