The Grand Poll was anything but good news for Open Vld: the party dipped below the symbolic limit of 10 percent again and Prime Minister De Croo is no longer in the top 3 of most popular politicians. Nevertheless, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld) remains combative. “I am not a doomsayer,” it sounds. In the interview, he emphasizes the achievements of his party and the Vivaldi government. “I think the government deserves an award. We have successfully guided the country through some unprecedented crises.”
The liberal believes that this government proves that “reforms at the federal level are still possible”, but do give his coalition partner PS a stab. “What bothers me most is Magnette’s njet (PS chairman, ed.). Whenever we show ambition, in terms of budget for example, he is the man who says no. I regret that very much. With a socialist as prime minister, this government would have achieved nothing.”
He also warns that if the extreme left in Wallonia and the extreme right in Flanders win the elections, “everything will be blocked”. But next year, he says, people will be well aware of “what is at stake”. “They will not choose the risk of total blockage. That’s why I’m very combative. We will score better than everyone thinks.”
LOOK. Striking Open Vld proposal: “The longer government formation takes, the less ministers in current affairs are allowed to earn”