In Belgium, the elusive coalition in France brings smiles and memories

It’s been almost a week since the French government started managing current affairs and there is no coalition agreement in the National Assembly. A situation that makes our Belgian neighbors smile, past masters in the art of composing coalitions that seem improbable. Belgium has even gone through very long periods without a real government: 19 months in 2010-2011, 22 months (541 days) between 2018 and 2020.

In these conditions, the French situation seems derisory, seen from Brussels. In particular from this chip shop on Place Jourdan, the Maison Antoine, an institution. “I think it’s funny, it’s like the series Dallaswhen I watch television in France, jokes David. And it causes great debates, it seems like it’s the end of the world in France.”

“In Belgium or elsewhere in other countries, we don’t reach the French tremolos mounted straight away at the top of the walls. But it’s true that it’s also a question of habit”comments Arnaud, a Frenchman who works in Brussels. And on this subject, he read a widely shared article that was published in the newspaper The evening, and which gives the French a little tutorial for creating coalition governments. “I thought it was quite well seen, it’s not mean but it really teases us as it should”, he adds.

The author of this article confirms: “I wanted to play on a very sensitive chord which is this rivalry, particularly very football-related, between the French and the Belgians, explains Bernard Demonty, the head of the daily’s political service The evening. We said to ourselves that, here in Brussels, this political situation has been ours for a very long time, we have to calm down, it’s not that serious! We have experienced extremely long crises and it’s not after three days that we should get upset.”

“My first idea was to tell the French to stay calm. What’s happening to you is not a catastrophe.”

Bernard Demonty, head of the political service at the newspaper “Le Soir”

to franceinfo

Bernard Demonty also advises us to find a castle, because in Belgium, politicians find agreements by locking themselves in a castle, it is part of the scenography. Finally, last piece of advice and not least: “Start small!” A coalition with two, three parties maximum.

It must be said that Belgium has just experienced a coalition with a great many parties and this has not necessarily been effective. This coalition, composed of seven parties with four major political families, was nicknamed the “Vivaldi”, in reference to the Four Seasons of the Italian composer. The comparison ends there since this government has had plenty of false notes.

With such an ideological gap, it is difficult to agree. “Where it was most complicated was with the colleague in charge of agriculture, says Zakia Khattabi, Federal Minister for Climate. Someone from the right on agriculture and a Green on environmental and climate issues, it’s not easy. I thought the agreement we had would allow me to get through [cet obstacle]. It was not the case.”

“There are goals that I had to lower and then there are some victories that I never imagined.”

Zakia Khattabi, Federal Minister of Climate

to franceinfo

Zakia Khattabi is still in place but on probation since on June 9, at the same time as the European elections, there were proportional legislative elections. The left lost, so a right-wing coalition is forming. She is nicknamed “Arizona” in reference to the colors of the different parties, the same as those of the flag of this American state.

This week a negotiator was appointed by the king, a key figure in these negotiations.
“You have [en France] a central actor, who is the President of the Republic, who is judge and party in the current discussion. While the King, after consulting the entire political spectrum, designates a personality who seems to him to be a consensus. And it is true that we have never yet seen, once the King designates someone, an outcry from all the actors who do not recognize him. His interest is more distant than that of the President.”

This is also one of the major differences: in Belgium, it is first the coalition program that is debated, the name of the Prime Minister is secondary. But despite these months of negotiations, these heterogeneous coalitions have had a lot of trouble reforming.

“A problem that we have been able to observe in Belgium for quite a few years is the dynamic that has been set up with coalitions that do not necessarily largely satisfy the population, observes Jean Faniel, general director of the Center for Socio-Political Research and Information. Because they have to make compromises that are sometimes a little soft, a little goat-choutist. And since then, we have seen a strengthening, on the one hand of the radical left, and on the other hand, of the extreme right.”

Until now, far-right parties have always been excluded from coalitions. In French-speaking Belgium, there is what is called a political and media “cordon sanitaire”.