Negotiators from seven parties struck a coalition deal after more than 600 days of deadlock in the Belgian capital on Thursday night, following nearly three days of conclave-like talks.
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The autonomous Brussels-Capital region has been mired in a political and financial crisis since the June 2024 elections produced no clear winner.
The seven parties, three French-speaking and four Dutch-speaking, have since been mired in finding a compromise to suit all, while Brussels’ complex institutional setup has also complicated coalition talks.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever hit out in frustration earlier this week, saying it was time to overhaul the complex political system and that the deadlock was damaging the country’s reputation.
Unlike Belgium’s other regions, Brussels’ government needs to hold a majority in both of the local parliament’s two linguistic groups, each with different parties.
The deal reached will see the Francophone side represented by the liberal Mouvement Réformateur (MR), the Socialist Party (PS) and the centrist Les Engagés. The Dutch-speaking parties include the Greens (Groen), the socialists (Vooruit), the liberals (Open Vld), and the Christian Democrats (CD&V).
‘Habemus government’
The nearly two-year crisis was finally brought to an end when the negotiators decided to lock themselves in a building of the University Foundation for a “conclave” on Tuesday, a proposal from Georges-Louis Bouchez, leader of MR.
“Everyone realised how urgent the situation was,” Bouchez said after the talks ended. “Brussels was truly on the brink of collapse, as we know, with a new temporary budget that would have been necessary.”
When the agreement was reached, the staff at the University Foundation staged a tribute to the Vatican’s papal tradition. Dressed in cardinal’s robes, a staff member proclaimed “habemus government,” hoisted the Brussels flag, and used a smoke bomb to release white smoke.
The broad outlines of the agreement indicate a return to a balanced budget in 2029, a new name for the Brussels traffic plan — dubbed Good Move — and the abolition of renovation subsidies as they currently exist.
Each party must now organise its participation congress to have the agreement validated by its members, before a debate in parliament, a vote of confidence and the swearing-in ceremony.
While the previous administration had stayed on in a caretaker role, it had little power to address pressing issues, such as the budget.
Heavily indebted, Brussels has had to put several investment projects on hold and freeze subsidies to NGOs and cultural organisations.
Belgium, known as having one of the most complicated political systems in Europe, is not new to political paralysis.
The current De Wever-led federal coalition was formed after seven months of haggling, and the country went 541 days without a government between 2010 and 2011.
Additional sources • AFP
