The Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo is the first to admit that these are tough times for his party, the Flemish liberal party Open VLD. “Yes, these are difficult days for the Open VLD”. A series of bad opinion polls, the resignation of the Vincent Van Quickenborne as Justice Minister and Deputy Prime Minister and the internal strife within the party concerning the lists for next year’s elections mean that Open VLD is going through some challenging times. Nevertheless, Mr De Croo told VRT News that "But the race isn't over yet."
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Belgium PM reacts to crisis within his own party: "Renewing a party is always a bumpy ride"
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Anger, frustration, disillusionment are emotions that many leading Flemish liberals have expressed in recent days after the appointment of a "newcomer to politics" Paul Van Tigchelt as Minister of Justice. The same feelings also have come to the fore with regard to the formation of the lists for next year’s elections. The Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, himself a Flemish liberal says that he cannot ignore this. Speaking in an interview with VRT Radio 1’s morning news and current affairs programme ‘De ochtend’, Mr De Croo said "These are difficult days for the Open VLD. We are renewing the party, and this is a path strewn with difficulties".
“But I see that our party is recovering with a new team, and this is not something that started today. The party leader Tom Ongena, Secretary of State Alexia Bertrand, these are new figures, like the Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt. He is someone that is new to politics but who has been in the field for decades and who will be able to take the measures that are necessary very quickly”, Mr De Croo said.
That decisions taken by members of his party sometimes cause a stir does not surprise Mr De Croo “We are not a party of yes-men. We are a party where the debate is strong, that is the very essence of a liberal party. Debate contributes to a strong and robust society.”
Asked about the series of bad poll results and how he envisages reversing the situation, the Prime Minister said “We will continue to show how effective we are and this something that is visible within the government. We still have a lot of work to do (...)”. Mr De Croo concluded by saying that too much importance is being attached to polls and there is only one poll that matters, the election on 9 June next year.