“If parties press the green button for a law that I find really shameful, it is very difficult to pretend with the same parties the next day as if nothing had happened.” With that statement about the relaxation of the abortion law, N-VA chairman Bart De Wever puts further pressure on the attempted formation of the ‘three kings’.
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De Wever, who made his statement to VRT NWS in the margins of the July 11 celebration in Antwerp, went a step further. “If those parties love each other so much that they can form a government on that basis with socialists, communists and greens, then they should do that. That will be a government that has zero point zero support in Flanders. ‘
Those parties are Open VLD and MR. The Flemish and French-speaking liberals are thus pressured by De Wever to help stop the relaxation of the abortion law. Presidents Egbert Lachaert (Open VLD) and Georges-Louis Bouchez (MR), together with Joachim Coens (CD&V), are trying to find partners to expand the current minority government. The so-called ‘Arizona coalition’ – Open VLD, MR, CD&V, CDH, N-VA and SP.A – is preferred. But those parties disagree about the relaxation of abortion: Open VLD, MR and SP.A are in favor, CD&V and N-VA are against.
De Wever therefore links his participation in the Arizona coalition to abortion law.
Coens vs. Bouchez
This is also a breaking point for CD&V. The relationship between CD&V chairman Joachim Coens and MR chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez came under pressure when the bill came to Parliament in early July. Bouchez released his group to vote, while Coens had hoped to win extra reprieve with the support of the Liberals. That eventually worked, but only by submitting an extra amendment and asking the Council of State for advice – the third time already. A rather elegant emergency brake.
Coens, Bouchez and Open VLD chairman Egbergt Lachaert needed a reconciliation meeting to agree that they would discuss ethical dossiers ‘when delineating the coalition agreement’. However, Bouchez soon tweeted: “Without government, parliament will do its job.” In other words, Coens had no guarantees.
Thursday again?
On Friday, the Council of State accelerated the matter again. The new advice on the proposal was delivered at a rapid pace. The PS immediately asked Chamber President Patrick Dewael (Open VLD) on Friday to put the point on the Parliament’s agenda. This will be decided on Wednesday at the Conference of Presidents. Normally, the bill could therefore be voted during plenary next Thursday.
The bill would completely remove abortion from criminal law and extend the term from twelve to eighteen weeks. The mandatory reflection period is also shortened and there are penalties for those who want to prevent abortion.
It remains to be seen whether the broad majority for relaxation, consisting of socialists, liberals, greens, PVDA and DéFi, who was there earlier, will remain on Thursday.
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