De Wever hosts five parties seeking to form federal government

The negotiators of the five political parties looking to form the federal government are meeting this week. It is the first time since N-VA leader Bart De Wever was named informateur by the King that the parties have sat around the table together.

Representatives of right-wing N-VA, socialists Vooruit, Christian democrats CD&V, liberals MR and centrists Les Engagés will meet on Monday afternoon. They will not yet begin negotiations to form the next government, however. 

On the agenda is a presentation by the National Bank on the budget and the macroeconomic outlook. On Tuesday, the Chief of Defence will present the necessary investments in his department and the five parties will talk to nuclear watchdog FANC about nuclear power plants.

'Get down to work'

MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez called the budgetary context "the fundamental element around which discussions will be structured in the future". It is therefore important that the five parties sit down together around that issue and understand the challenges.

He added that people had voted and there were "not ten thousand possible combinations" to form a government. "We must now get down to work and assume our responsibilities," he said.

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Last week, De Wever’s two-week fact-finding assignment as informateur ended and King Philippe appointed him preformateur. Vooruit and Les Engagés thought it was too early for him to become formateur and begin concrete negotiations. 

The job of informateur is to talk to the parties to find out how a government might be formed. Usually, they belong to the party that performed best in the election.

The informateur will propose the politician they think is best suited to the role of formateur, who will be tasked with forming a government. A preformateur can also be appointed, to bridge the gap between the roles of informateur and formateur.

^{MR leader Georges-Louis Bouchez arrives for a meeting between representatives of N-VA, Vooruit, CD&V, MR and Les Engagés © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS}

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