2019–2020 Belgian government formation

One day later, on 28 May 2019, the King met with Zakia Khattabi and Jean-Marc Nollet (Ecolo), Meyrem Almaci (Groen), Wouter Beke (CD&V), Olivier Maingain (DéFI), Gwendolyn Rutten (Open Vld) and John Crombez (sp.a).

[12][13][14][15][16][17][18] The pair was named informers by the King, assigned with the task to identify the challenges for the state of Belgium together with the possibilities and necessary conditions to start the Federal government formation.

with Reynders and Vande Lanotte, King Philippe had chosen for two experienced politicians which were at the end of their national political career and both part of parties which had not won the most recent elections.

[28] On Sunday 28 July 2019, a round table discussion took place between the informers and the presidents of the socialists, liberals, CD&V, N-VA and Groen at the Egmont Palace in Brussels.

That same day, party presidents Paul Magnette (PS) and Bart De Wever (N-VA) met with the King for an audience, followed on 5 November by prime Minister Sophie Wilmès (MR), Deputy Prime Minister Koen Geens (CD&V) and party presidents John Crombez (sp.a), Gwendolyn Rutten (Open Vld), Meyrem Almaci (Groen) and the duo Jean-Marc Nollet and Rajae Maouane (Ecolo).

[39] On 17 December 2019 - during the information round of Joachim Coens and Georges-Louis Bouchez (see below), Demotte shot down the purple-yellow combination entirely based on the final report he had made together with Bourgeois.

He also intended to meet with European Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, managing the Economic and Financial Affairs portfolio, and his successor Paolo Gentiloni concerning the poor condition of Belgium.

[50] On 1 December news surfaced that Magnette had had a secret meeting where only PS, sp.a, MR, Open Vld, Ecolo and Groen were present, with the intention to check the possibility of forming a purple-green government.

Within Open Vld there was a lot of internal division on such a coalition and on 7 December new MR-president Georges-Louis Bouchez stated that a government containing the six purple-green parties would have a too narrow majority to be able to operate in a stable manner.

[58] In a pressconference the informers announced they would base themselves on the reports by their predecessors Johan Vande Lanotte, Didier Reynders, Geert Bourgeois, Rudy Demotte and Paul Magnette, and that they would invite all ten involved parties in order from largest to smallest.

Based around five themes – the budgetary deficit, social policy, employment and the job market, climate, and safety, justice and migration – they intended to check which similarities existed between the ten parties to come to a majority in a pragmatic manner.

As they had made insufficient progress, their assignment was prolonged until 28 January 2020, to further clarify the various points of view and to see whether it would be possible to bring the N-VA and the socialist parties PS and sp.a closer together in opinion.

[86] On 12 March cdH-president Maxime Prévot and DéFI-president François De Smet sent out a press release in which they stated to be willing to help out a purple-green government in case CD&V would remain fixed on having a Flemish majority.

[109] On 17 June Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès met with Georges-Louis Bouchez (MR), Egbert Lachaert (Open Vld), and Joachim Coens (CD&V), presidents of the three government parties, to discuss the proposition by Conner Rousseau and Paul Magnette.

The three presidents, commonly named 'Three Kings' by the press, declared that a classical triparty was not their preference and they intended foremost to form a stable majority government, which had to set up strong support- and repair policies to combat the consequences of the Coronacrisis.

This coalition, named "Arizonacoalitie" in the media (pertaining to the colors on the flag of the U.S. state of Arizona), would have a narrow majority of 76 of 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives, but would be a minority in the parliamentary commissions, which would be preparing the legislative tasks.

[112] On 29 June the initiative takers announced they were working on a substantive note around a recovery plan which would ease the socioeconomic consequences of the Coronacrisis and which would focus on social security, health care, and durability.

[113] Two days later, on 1 July, sp.a-president Rousseau declared willing to talk about an Arizona coalition, on condition that the trio of initiative takers would take into account some important demands from his party in their starting note.

[128] One day late, Magnette and De Wever again went to King Philippe, who extended their assignment until 8 August, with the request to bring the party presidents together as soon as possible to find a supporting plane for the creation of a majority government.

[133] The day after a new meeting with the liberal parties was held, who now stated they were willing to talk about the starting note with the preformationists, on the condition that De Wever and Magnette gave more insights on the specific formula they had in mind.

[135] On 13 August the liberal and green parties sent out a joint press release in which they restated their concerns around the institutional plans of the preformationists, and in which they called on De Wever and Magnette to give clarity on which political family they wanted to start the government negotiations with.

[137] The King held his decision under consideration and started consultation with the party presidents of N-VA, PS, sp.a, CD&V, cdH, MR, Open Vld, Ecolo, Groen, and DéFI.

[138] After his consultations, King Philippe handed Open Vld-president Egbert Lachaert the assignment of forming a government, simultaneously accepting the resignation of De Wever and Magnette.

On Wednesday 26 August, in a conversation with N-VA-president Bart De Wever, Lachaert made clear that he intended at first to investigate a Vivaldicoalition of liberals (MR and Open Vld), socialists (PS and sp.a), greens (Ecolo and Groen) and CD&V.

[140] The day after, King Philippe extended the assignment of Lachaert to 4 September, as the socialists — whose demands regarding pensions, health care and taxation were difficult for the liberals — and CD&V were not sufficiently convinced to move to a next phase.

[141] On Sunday 30 August, Lachaert met with cdH-president Maxime Prévot to discuss his starting note, after which he brought together than evening Open Vld, MR, PS, sp.a, Ecolo, Groen, and CD&V for an informative meeting.

In a following press conference, Lachaert declared what would be the most important priorities for the new government: reforming the political system (both institutional reforms as the manner in which politics is being done), reinforcing social security and health care, making the economy and labor market more efficient, an ambitions climate policy, a simple transparent and just taxation, a strong safety policy, an efficient justice system and a credible budget plan.

[154] That evening Rousseau gave a press conference in which he stated he wanted to continue negotiating, under condition that MR would give a strong internal signal to restore confidence.

Firstly the topics of energy, climate, mobility, entrepreneurship, justice, safety, asylum and migration, employment, job market, pensions, a part of taxation, and political renewal were tackled[160] and from Sunday 27 September the budget was treated.

[163] On 30 September at 6:30 a.m. the negotiators from PS, sp.a, Open Vld, MR, CD&V, Ecolo, and Groen came to a coalition agreement for the formation of a new federal government, with Alexander De Croo being announced as new Prime Minister.