Flemish right-wing leader does not want far-right in government

Flemish right-wing party leader Bart De Wever (N-VA/ECR) wants a coalition with the Open VLD (Renew) and CD&V (EPP) parties for the 2024 elections, effectively preventing the far right from coming to power.

According to the latest polls, the far-right party Vlaams Belang (Identity and Democracy) is gaining ground and could be the first party in Flanders and Belgium for the 2024 elections, Belga reported last Friday (25 August).

The current Flemish government is composed of N-VA, CD&V, and Open VLD, a model De Wever wants to reiterate for the next elections, although the parties seem to be losing ground. He said he would hold the necessary discussions for forming such a coalition in the coming months.

In an interview with Humo on Monday, De Wever said he “would have preferred to see this alliance form well before 2024, but the Vivaldi [the current seven-party coalition at Federal level] was in the way”.

“With the right wings of the Open VLD and the CD&V, we can form a broad conservative people’s party that would reach 40%,” he added.

But a four-party Flemish government would be a “doomsday scenario,” he said, and he will “do everything […] to make sure that doesn’t happen”.

The N-VA leader also seems to altogether reject the idea of a coalition with Vlaams Belang: “Vlaams Belang is […] Flanders’ melanoma. The far right has been active since the 1920s, but their track record consists of pages printed in black ink,” he said during the interview.

The 2019 elections left a bitter taste in the N-VA, which remained the first party but lost seats compared to 2014. The Vlaams Belang, on the contrary, gained seats and was the clear winner of the election.

Recent polls show that it should continue to grow, as it gets 22.7% of voters’ intentions, closely followed by the N-VA with 21.8%. The polls predict that the N-VA/Open VLD/CD&V coalition should not reach a majority after the 2024 elections.

In the interview, De Wever also spoke about his party’s political programme. If he doubts a unilateral declaration of independence by Flanders, he believes instead in a reform of the State that would give Belgium a confederal structure.

He also emphasised that Flanders was carrying the weight of Wallonia and Brussels.

“Wallonia and Brussels are virtually bankrupt. French-speaking citizens are running out of money. This is an opportunity to be seized,” he said. “But for that to happen, the [traditional] Flemish parties need to form a front,” which will only be possible if the N-VA becomes the largest party and wins the right of initiative, he added. And “for that to happen, the CD&V and the Open VLD must face a heavy blow so that they no longer dare to maintain the Belgian status quo,” De Wever concluded.

In Wallonia, polls predict the Socialist Party (PS/S&D) should win, and for Brussels, the Reformist Movement (MR/Renew).

(Nina Chabot & Anne-Sophie Gayet | EURACTIV.com)