'A minority government in Flanders is possible,' says former minister

'A minority government in Flanders is possible,' says former minister
© Belga

"Bart De Wever is a hypocrite for wanting a majority in Flanders when he has just been governing with only a 25% majority in Wallonia," said the former socialist minister for Foreign Affairs Willy Claes.

"For me, a minority government in Flanders is possible," added Claes - who also once served as secretary general of NATO - speaking on RTBF's Matin Première.

According to Claes, "everything depends on the attitude of the N-VA," which could remain stuck over its will to impose confederalism immediately, which was an idea "very near to separatism."

Named three times as an informer by the Palace, Willy Claes has furthermore returned to the subject of the nomination of Didier Reynders and Johan Vande Lanotte for this function.

"The important thing is to have people with a lot of experience and political credibility, as well as those coming from all socio-economic backgrounds. Didier Reynders and Johan Vande Lanotte have the necessary experience. The Palace has taken the side of caution to preserve the N-VA and PS, which is a quite defendable point of view," he emphasised.

As for the meeting between Philippe and the leader of Vlaams Belang: "a profoundly racist party, even if it is doing all it can to make people believe the opposite"; it "does not break the sanitary cordon, the King being obliged to receive all representatives of parties supported by a significant segment of the population," Claes still considered. According to him, "we must all make an effort to keep Belgian culture from being compromised and [avoid] dishonest compromise."

The Brussels Times


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