This Thursday, a line was crossed in Parliament. The PS, Ecolo, PTB and DéFI joined forces with the Vlaams Belang to refer the government's programme law to the Council of State. This manoeuvre prevented several measures planned for 1 July from coming into force, directly harming citizens.
But beyond the political manoeuvre, a fundamental democratic principle has just been violated: the absolute refusal of any form of collaboration with the far right.
The cordon sanitaire has been broken. And this is no parliamentary detail: it is a major political mistake.
Georges-Louis Bouchez reacted immediately: “The cordon sanitaire has been broken. And this is a serious political reality. Today, the PS, PTB, Ecolo and DéFI joined forces with the Vlaams Belang to block a government reform. The result: the measures planned for 1 July are cancelled. It is the citizens who pay the price of this political manoeuvre.”
The MR President also denounces the nature of this alliance of convenience: “There are red lines that must never be crossed. Never.” For the MR, this political manoeuvring endangers the country's democratic consistency.
The Mouvement Réformateur refuses any compromise with the extremes and unambiguously defends the rule of law and the institutions.