The man leading the negotiations on the formation of a new federal government, the Flemish nationalist leader Bart De Wever, has been unable to meet with the King at an appointment that had been scheduled for 6pm on Friday. In a statement released at around 6pm, the Royal Palace said that the appointment would be postponed.
The coalition talks that are taking place behind the closed doors of the Royal Military School in Brussels hit choppy water earlier on Friday afternoon. Not long before 6pm it became clear that Mr De Wever would not be unable to go to the Palace to brief the King just yet. Earlier in the day it had been said that a 6pm appointment had been provisionally penciled in. Meanwhile, the negotiations will continue until further notice.
Previously, Mr De Wever had set a deadline of 31 January. If no agreement was reached he was going to throw in the towel as “Formateur”. The 31 January deadline was also a deadline agreed with the 5 parties involved in the talks.
Whether it can still be met and whether Mr De Wever will go to the Palace this evening is still unclear. If he has to go to the King without an agreement, it will be the end of the road for him as “Formateur”.