Negotiators for the 5 parties involved in talks for the formation of a new federal coalition government are meeting again today (Wednesday). On Monday King Filip gave the man that has been given the task of leading the talks, the Flemish nationalist leader Bart De Wever, until Thursday to reach an agreement. The sticking point is a working paper on socio-economic policy that Mr De Wever has already revised several times.
The working paper on socio-economic policy drafted by the leader of the Flemish nationalist party N-VA has already been revised several times after previous drafts were rejected by one or more of the 5 parties involved in the coalition talks. Initially the Flemish socialists rejected it as they believed that it was too one-side towards the wish list of the parties on the centre right.
While, the latest amened version of the working paper is now acceptable to the Flemish socialist, Mr De Wever is now facing resistance from the leader of the Francophone liberal party Georges-Louis Bouchez. Mr Bouchez fiercely opposes the proposals on capital gains that are contained in the latest version of the working paper. Political commentors suggest that Mr Bouchez may be trying to cause a political crisis in order to eject the only left-of-centre party (the Flemish socialists) from the talks and bring the Flemish liberals on board.
While it is true that a coalition with the Flemish liberals rather than the Flemish socialists would have a parliamentary majority, the majority would be wafer-thin (76 seat out of 150). Furthermore, a coalition of Francophone and Flemish liberals and Christian democrats and Flemish nationalists would not have a majority in the select committees that are important in scrutinising (and amending) bills before they are discusses and voted on at a plenary sitting of parliament.
Is a crisis looming?
The capital gains tax proposals in Mr De Wever's working paper say that the tax would generate 500 million euro per annum in revenue. The Francophone liberals suggest that this revenue could be generated in other ways. However, the VRT’s political editors have been told by the other parties involved in the talks that Mr Bouchez’s proposals are “‘completely implausible”.
The position of the Francophone centrist party Les Engagés is not really clear. It would seem that this is a classic left-right issue between the Francophone liberals and the Flemish socialists. The question is whether the difference can be resolved before Mr De Wever’s next visit to the Palace tomorrow. If tis is not the case it could be over and out for the Flemish nationalist as federal “Formateur”.