Flemish nationalist leader Bart De Wever says his party will not be available for a Flemish government coalition with any of the parties in the current federal coalition, if the next federal government can’t count on a majority of Flemish federal MPs. Mr De Wever was speaking during a debate hosted by magazines Knack and Trends and the business channel Kanaal Z.
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Is Bart De Wever holding the door open for Vlaams Belang in the next Flemish government?
Colin Clapson
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Mr De Wever is unhappy past federal governments have failed to wield a majority in Flanders.
"For 12 of the last 16 years, we have had a federal government without a Flemish majority. Respect for Flemish democracy should be alpha".
By accepting such a state of affairs Mr De Wever believes other parties are only prepared to provide democracy under certain conditions. "I see dwarf parties tripping over each other to be able to give the outgoing administration a new outing!"
If the nationalists steer clear of other mainstream parties and they in turn are unable to find a majority to form a new Flemish government, the question arises will the nationalists team up with the far-right Vlaams Belang, a party that despite its success at the polls has been ostracized by all others for decades?
Quizzed about this Mr De Wever answered that mainstream parties should "not count on him to join a Flemish coalition government if the other parties remain deaf to the N-VA’s demand for the federal government also to possess a Flemish majority.
Earlier this year, De Wever told VRT News that the N-VA wants to ensure that there would "never again be a federal government without a Flemish majority". At his party’s New Year’s reception, Mr De Wever said that immediately after the June elections his party would like to set up a scaled down government, a kind of technocratic cabinet.
"That government should focus on the budget - because the situation is dramatic - and on several social-economic reforms," Mr De Wever said at the time. During last night's debate, he seemed to find a potential partner in the Flemish liberals of Open VLD. Only, that party does not want government formation talks to get bogged down in a long discussion on state reforms and devolution.