flandersfocus on THE DUTCH SPEAKING PART OF BELGIUM press review weekly, does not appear in July • number 6 • 7 February – 13 Fbruary INTRODUCTION la fland De Gucht sidelined by ur re s • s f u o hursday, 12 February, will c c o u f s remain etched in the • T o n n VLD party top r memories of many Rue de la f e l a d n n d a Loi watchers for a long time l e f r f s u a • f o s k u to come. No fewer than three ‘ n empty box’ is how VLD Chair- mitted an amendment for the further parties, VLD, MR and Green! A man, Karel De Gucht, referred to a limitation of immigrant voting rights, were facing a serious crisis. The Limburg section circular the government intended to which was swiftly voted out. This was of the Green! party is threatening to break away. add to the bill on immigrant voting the proverbial straw. Two weeks earlier A green majority in that province approved a res- rights (see p. 2). The circular was a com- he had already angered the prime min- olution to face the next elections in a cartel with SP.A-Spirit. The sector refuses to abide by the de- promise solution, which was agreed ister by declaring that the VLD was pre- cision made at the latest party conference to surprisingly quickly and approved by pared to face a government crisis in or- stand independently. Flemish Environment Min- all majority parties. Everyone, includ- der to reinforce its opposition to ister, Ludo Sannen, supports those in favour of a ing the VLD, wanted to remove the is- immigrant voting rights. Using his cartel and has already made it clear that he will sue of immigrant voting rights from the amendment he again looked for a con- not be a candidate on the Groen! list at the next agenda as soon as possible, because ac- frontation with the coalition partners elections. The French speaking MR liberals were cording to recent opinion polls only the SP.A-Spirit, PS and MR and the premier no less affected. Their Brussels figurehead, opposition was gaining from it. The this week. In an interview published in Daniel Ducarme, was forced to resign as minis- VLD regained its unanimity at the par- De Morgen on 12 February, De Gucht ter-president of the Brussels region. It had been known for some time that Ducarme was in trou- ty conference and accepted the defeat again highlighted his ‘steely’ party log- ble with the taxman. Vers l’Avenir published de- on immigrant voting rights with hon- ic. But his fate had already been decided tails on this subject on 12 February. Ducarme’s our. All expectations pointed to the fact the night before at a crisis meeting in tax returns had allegedly not been completed, or that the country could now be ‘gov- the prime minister’s official residence completed late, for a period of five years. erned’ again. However, this did not take involving the entire party top except for Ducarme emphasised that this was not a case of into account the stubborn efforts of De Gucht. The trigger for this meeting fraud but that he could no longer live with the in- Karel De Gucht, who manfully contin- was a secret opinion poll held amongst sinuations. He was replaced that same day by ued his battle in parliament. He sub- VLD voters, according to which the Jacques Simonet. In Flanders attention was obvi- ously focused on the power struggle in the VLD VLD would lose one third of its voters top. The high-handedness of party Chairman, CONTENTS as a result of its approach to the immi- Karel De Gucht, on the subject of an amendment grant voting rights dossier (FF). on the tightening of immigrant voting rights was Politics the straw that broke the camel’s back. Following No voting rights for rejected Opinion a crisis meeting involving all VLD ministers as well candidate Belgians? 2 as ex-party chairman Willy De Clerck, Annemie Circular has no substance, says LUC VAN DER KELEN • HET LAATSTE Neyts and Herman Decroo, Karel De Gucht was De Gucht 2 NIEUWS • 13 FEBRUARY asked to resign. De Gucht refused knowing full well that he could only be unseated with a mo- Yvo Belet from VRT to CD&V 2 tion of distrust at a party conference, which The stubborn one-man campaign The opinion poll showed that the strat- amounted to a political impossibility four of Karel De Gucht 3 egy, based on making the immigrant months before the elections. However, ‘In the in- Dewael warns mayors 3 voting rights issue a hanging matter, terest of the party’ he was prepared to hand over Kabila’s invitations 3 was completely undermining the party. the political leadership to premier Verhofstadt The VLD conference 4 Guy Verhofstadt knew that he had to and the Flemish Minister-President, Bart Somers. Reactions after the poll 4 act quickly to deal with the way in De Gucht will remain in charge overall but, ac- which Karel De Gucht was endanger- cording to Het Laatste Nieuws, this merely re- lates to ‘flowerpots and party buildings’. Many Justice: ing the government and VLD’s new fer- press observers doubt whether the combination Criticism of police reform 5 vour acquired at Saturday’s conference. of government leader and political leader is a Verhofstadt must have been well aware feasible option. An ambiguous emergency solu- Economy and mobility that De Gucht was steering the VLD tion - according to De Standaard and De Tijd. Aviation: newcomer BelgiumExel 5 ship towards the opposition and that a Both papers feel that Verhofstadt will find him- Gores acquires 83% in Real Software 6 lack of action on his part would also self in a position in which he is very vulnerable to Roadworks: companies complain 6 undermine the coalition partners’ faith attacks from the opposition and his coalition The Ubizen take-over battle 7 in him. partners. I Frank Vandecaveye | editor in chief Media: a permanent sports network 7 focus on FLANDERS • 7 February - 13 February • Number 6 2 POLITICS IMMIRGRANT VOTING RIGHTS Following the approval of the bill on No voting rights for immigrant voting rights the Interior Ministry will send a relevant circular to local authorities. The same happened rejected candidate Belgians? in 1999 with the introduction of mu- Belgians and immigrants are treated on an equal footing nicipal voting rights for non-Belgians in the European Union. The circular stat- ed that local authorities had to verify The day after the VLD party confer- Home Affairs Minister, Patrick Dewael whether EU citizens, registering as vot- ence, during a transmission of the VRT (VLD), reported in De Standaard (9 Feb- ers, were/were not excluded from vot- programme ‘De Zevende Dag’, Chair- ruary) that he would be prepared to im- ing on the basis of the municipal crimi- man Karel De Gucht announced that he plement the proposal with a circular. nal records. These regulations are now would submit an amendment on immi- ‘That way Belgians and immigrants are extended to non-Belgians originating grant voting rights, whereby immi- treated on an equal footing. Belgians from outside the European Union, who grants with a criminal past would be re- with a criminal record can also lose will get municipal voting rights. A new fused voting rights. SP.A fraction their voting rights,’ the minister point- feature is the fact that local authorities leader, Dirk Vander Maelen, did not re- ed out (FF). can contact the Naturalisations depart- ject this outright, but appealed for an- ment of the Chamber to verify whether other solution - for instance a minister- MARK DEWEERDT • DE TIJD • or not a non-Belgian from outside the ial circular - as a new amendment 10 FEBRUARY European Union, registering as a voter, would have to be resubmitted to the has convictions that would remove Senate, where it has already been ap- The circular met with judicial objec- his/her voting rights. proved in the meantime. Louis Michel tions. Paul Van Orshoven, professor in I (MR) also considered this a ‘logical and public legislation at the University of reasonable’ proposal. Only the PS sus- Leuven, stated that with a circular no PARTIES pected delaying tactics. De Gucht exceptions can be made with respect to wants to establish what the reason for legal definitions. It has been agreed, Yvo Belet from VRT the refusal was for the 25% of immi- however, to apply the Electoral Code, to Cd&V grants whose naturalisation applica- according to which an individual who tions were rejected. He is of the opinion incurs a criminal conviction will defi- FF EDITOR that in cases involving membership of nitely lose his/her voting rights. Indi- integristic organisations, involvement viduals who are sent to prison for at Yvo Belet, anchorman of the informa- in prostitution, in the drugs trade or hu- least four months temporarily lose tion programme Ter Zake of the public man trafficking, or serious convictions, their voting rights (minimum 6, maxi- broadcasting company VRT, has been voting rights should be refused. The mum 12 years). I awarded third place on the European list of CD&V. This implies that he is following in the footsteps of his ex-col- league, Dirk Sterkx, who was awarded a Circular has no substance, place on the European VLD list during opposition and De Gucht say the previous European elections and is currently a member of the European parliament. Belet, who sees himself as a y Monday lunchtime, 9 February, ,,The regulations state that we can sub- ‘progressive Christian democrat’, start- B the majority parties spurred on by mit an amendment right up to the end ed his career as a trainee in the CD&V Guy Verhofstadt had agreed that the of the discussions,’ replied Karel De delegation at the European Parliament.