“We have done a good job: I am proud of what the Socialists have achieved in this government,” Magnette said during the debate with Prime Minister De Croo on RTL-TVi. “I want to continue, but not just for fun, but to improve wages and to continue investing in crucial issues such as public health and safety.”
De Croo, for his part, says he is willing to “work with people who have the right priorities”. According to him, there are three priorities: getting more people to work, putting public finances in order and investing in security and defense. He also added that he has no intention of “locking himself in a castle to negotiate institutional reforms that will not achieve anything.”
When the Vivaldi government was formed in October 2020, De Croo won the post of prime minister. An agreement was reached on this with PS leader Magnette, even though the PS was the largest party in the coalition. But at that time Belgium had had three successive French-speaking heads of government.
‘It’s not about people’
Who will be the prime minister of a possible Vivaldi II government? “It’s not about the people. I respect the personal and political qualities of Alexander De Croo. When we made that decision together, the two formations had similar weight (the socialist family had 29 seats and the liberal family 26, ed.). If tomorrow more citizens vote for better wages, more investments in health, more investments in security and if the socialist family becomes the largest, I am prepared to take my responsibility,” said Magnette.
“The real question is where do we want to go with our country? I believe in this country. In Flanders there are people who think of problems when they look at Wallonia or Brussels. I see incredible possibilities (…) That is the real choice: will we still be able to work together to strengthen our country on June 10? I have shown that I am able to bring people together. To do that, we must come up with solutions that can be heard on both sides of the country,” said De Croo.
The two leaders differed in substance in a number of areas, including in the areas of taxation and work.
