The result of the vote was also unexpected. The revision had to obtain a two-thirds majority. It was acquired by 36 votes for, 8 votes against and 14 abstentions. But the majority have cracked. The MR abstained, with the exception of German-speaking senator Liesa Scholzen who voted against. Among the Engaged, group leader Anne-Catherine Goffinet abstained. The other centrist senators voted in favor.
In opposition, the PTB abstained, while two of the three environmental senators voted against (Celia Groothede and Hajib El Hajjaji). The PS also voted against. Anders, on the other hand, voted for the revision.
In total, the vote therefore only received four French-speaking votes, from the Engaged, and was only able to pass thanks to one vote from Vlaams Belang, according to the accounts made at the end of the session: 29 votes in favor were necessary, and the democratic parties only collected 28.
A discomfort also visible among the Engaged
The discomfort was visible among the Engaged. “The Prime Minister was committed to making the necessary contacts with other political parties. When I heard the PS (which denounced the absence of discussions to try to form a special majority), I asked myself questions about this method”, underlined Ms. Goffinet.
At the MR too, the tone was heavy with reproach. “Once but not twice,” said Jean-Paul Wahl after the vote. “It’s a signal, it’s appropriate that the majority be respected.” The French-speaking liberals were clear: the text could not pass thanks to the support of the VB and the PTB. If they asked for a suspension of the session, it was to ensure this. The Flemish parties took the request very badly, “it was not the signal we were expecting”.
“It’s a breach of the sanitary cordon,” exclaimed Anne Lambelin (PS) after the vote. “And when we look at the vote, only four French speakers voted for, four Engaged. This says a lot about the state of health of this majority and shows to what extent it is under the thumb of the Flemish nationalists. From the start, if we had carried out a little serious work, if we had held hearings, we would not be there. Carrying out such a reform without consolidating a special majority is doomed to failure.
