Just one month after the Belgian parliamentary elections, Flemish leader Bart De Wever, president of the Neo-Flemish Alliance (N-VA), was appointed formateur (creator) of the federal government by the head of state, King Philippe, on Wednesday, July 10. Given Belgium's recent history, known for prolonged political crises – like the one that lasted 541 days in 2010-2011 – this is an unprecedented achievement. It could lead to the Flemish nationalist becoming head of the federal government. The formateur does not always become head of government, but a tacit agreement seems to be emerging between the parties present at the negotiating table to allow De Wever to take on the role.
Five parties are expected to form part of the new coalition, already named "Arizona," in reference to the four colors of the US state flag. Yellow symbolizes the N-VA, blue stands for the Mouvement Réformateur (MR, French-speaking liberal), orange for the centrist parties Chrétiens Démocratiques et Flamands (CD&V) and Les Engagés (French-speaking), and red for the Dutch-speaking socialist party, Vooruit. Vooruit, which broke away from its French-speaking counterpart, the Parti Socialiste, was the hardest to convince to join a possible majority coalition.
On Tuesday, July 9, however, the Parti Socialiste agreed to talks, clarifying that the aim was not to form a center-right coalition, but "a government for socio-economic recovery" – a way of appeasing part of its base and the unions. In any case, its 16 parliamentary seats are essential for ensuring a majority in the coalition. Without it, the coalition would only have 68 elected members out of 150.
If the coalition comes forms "quickly," i.e. in September as De Wever hopes, the government that will succeed the one run by liberal Alexander De Croo will first have to address a delicate budgetary situation. In 2023, the kingdom was the most indebted country in the European Union, apart from Slovakia. The European Commission and the International Monetary Fund have reprimanded Belgium, and the country will have to save around €30 billion between now and the end of the decade in order to restore its public finances. Consensus seems to be emerging on this point. The Walloon and Brussels regions, whose debt levels are rising rapidly, will also have to go through an austerity phase.
The results of the recent elections have, in any case, facilitated the opening of discussions. The far-right Vlaams Belang party did not come out on top in Flanders and the far left fell back in Wallonia. These results should facilitate a rapprochement between Flemish and French-speaking parties of the center and right, aiming to form a federal majority and identically composed regional governments, thus reducing the tensions of recent years.
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