The Leuven University (KUL) politics professor Bart Maddens, believes the formation of a new federal government will be far from impossible. He also believes that the most obvious coalition would be one made up of the Flemish nationalist party N-VA, the Flemish and Francophone Christian democrats, the Francophone liberals and the Flemish socialists.
“Federal coalition puzzle can be solved quickly, but N-VA will have to make choices”
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However, there are still some obstacles and N-VA will have to be prepared to make concessions. “I don’t think that making Bart De Wever Prime Minister is an absolute must for the party. They will, if they are made to choose, above all focus on more autonomy and the economy”.
But will N-VA succeed in its aim of realizing some form of confederalism?
"It is a paradox the party faces. Although Bart De Wever wants greater Flemish autonmy, by forming a functioning federal government, he risks demonstrating that Belgium does in fact work."
Mr De Wever has always made a point of reforming. Professor Maddens does not expect N-VA to push state reform under the carpet now, as it did a decade ago.
“Vlaams Belang is also much bigger today and will not hesitate to push N-VA into a corner. So they have to deliver.”
Professor Maddens is unable to say for sure how he expects N-VA to realise its aim of greater Flemish autonomy. "Many aspects of state reform were in the coalition agreement made when the outgoing government was formed, but nothing came of them. This will have to change now but will be difficult with a possible new coalition that doesn’t have a “special” two-thirds majority that would be required for many of the constitutional and state reforms N-VA desires.