BELGIUM: Belgium still has no government three months after elections, faces deepening political crisis

Three months after the general elections, Belgium is still waiting for a new government on Tuesday (September 11). Belgium's King Albert is overseeing negotiations to form a coalition following the victory of Flemish Premier and Christian Democrat leader Yves Leterme whose party won the general elections on June 10. Herman Van Rompuy, a veteran Christian Democrat and parliamentary speaker, was appointed in August to try to bridge the gap between the country's French and Dutch-speaking parties. On Monday (September 10), he gave King Albert an update on his secretive negotiations, but had no comment for journalists. And that's because the negotiations seem to have reached deadlock. The lack of visible progress since he began his exploratory mission in late August has fanned speculation about a possible divorce between prosperous Dutch-speaking Flanders and the poorer French-speaking southern region of Wallonia, although analysts say that is unlikely. International media frenzy over a possible break-up of Belgium grew on Monday (September 10). "Shall we separate?" Belgium's main French-speaking daily Le Soir asked in a headline, while France's Liberation plastered "What if Belgium splits..." across the front-page. Leterme vowed to wrest more power for Flanders, but French-speaking parties rebuffed him in coalition talks, fearing their regions would lose out in any further decentralisation. At the request of the extreme-right opposition Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) party, the Flemish parliament debated the question of independence on Monday but their demand for a swift referendum over the independence of Flanders was rejected. Filip Dewinter, the leader of the Vlaams Belang in the Flanders' Parliament, told parliamentarians they should use the threat of independence to force Walloons into the debate about more autonomy for the regions. "Well, at this moment, nothing seems to be possible in our country anymore. We have a political crisis for more than 92 days already. Walloons don't want to accept any of the propositions of the Flemish majority and the Flemish government and so that means that we will have to decide ourselves, us the Flemish Parliament, us the Flemish government, to declare our own independence. And we want to do that by asking the people if they are in favour of Flemish independence by organizing a democratic referendum," Dewinter told reporters just after the session. Dewinter said forty to forty-five people living in Flanders are in favour of independence, and believed this number could increased rapidly should a referendum be announced. The leader of the socialist group in the Flanders' Parliament, Caroline Gennez (pronounce Jennez), said the issue of federalism overshadows more essential ones. "I don't think that most of Flemish people want to, want to become independent from Wallonia. I think most of the people want politicians to govern and that's the problem. We have had elections, it's already three months ago and the people who won the elections, my party didn't win but, they have to take their responsibility and they have to form a government. But they are only talking about questions regionalism, Flemish, Walloons, and not about relevant things that are on the political agenda, such as social security and work and and pensions. And I think people, people wants solutions not questions," said Gennez. The regions and linguistic communities already control transport, housing, agriculture, education and culture but most Flemish parties want to decentralise taxation, some health and family policy and labour market measures. Seasoned veterans of Belgian political negotiations say talk of a break-up is wildly exaggerated, the main problem being what to do with Belgium's capital, Brussels. Other analysts argue that it is easier in practice to form a government, muddling through with a bit more devolution, than to agree on how to disentangle the complex country. Belgium's huge public debt, which accounted for 87 percent of gross domestic product in 2006, would have to be apportioned. Another major headache would lie in Brussels, a mostly French-speaking city that is a bilingual region in its own right, the seat of most European Union institutions, but also capital of the Flemish region. "Well, there is actually little that unites us. I would say if there is one thing, it's our capital, Brussels, which is a city that is within Flanders but is mostly French-speaking. And that's a very difficult problem to solve. I can imagine that if Flanders would look like Czechoslovakia with a capital within its borders that is culturally homogenous, then we would already have our independence. But that's a very difficult problem. And nobody wants to lose Brussels, nobody wants to have a situation which Brussels becomes an independent city-state," Bart de Wever, a Flemish politician part of the coalition that won the June elections, explained. Polls also show that while a significant minority of Flemish voters support independence, most Belgians favour keeping the country together and seem more concerned with their day-to-day life than constitutional dilemmas. In cosmopolitan Brussels, citizens feel united and most consider talks of a break-up part of a political game. "It's a real shame, because Brussels and Belgium is one and only. To have tensions in such a small country, between Flemish and Walloons, it's tricky," Jeanette Libu, who has been living in Brussels for more than twenty years, said. "All this is just politics. It's no good. People get along, Flemish, Walloons, it's all the same, we are human beings on the face of earth, you see. But politicians do not understand that. This is our problem," Alain van Hemelryck said. Meanwhile, Rudy Aernoudt (pronounce Roody Arnault), a senior civil servant in the Flanders' government and an advocate of Belgium's unity, worries about the image Belgium is sending abroad. "The main problem is that we have to find a government very quickly to demonstrate abroad that one, Belgium exists, and two, Belgium, Brussels being the capital of Europe, we are doing our duty and doing what people expect from a big city, that we are up to our ambitions," said Aernoudt. His latest book 'Brussels, the unloved child' was published on Tuesday (September 11). Aernoudt also thinks that Brussels is instrumental in keeping Belgium united.

ITN Source | September 13, 2007

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