The President of the Walloon Parliament, Jean-Claude Marcourt (PS), said Monday he was ready to resign from his post if the entire Bureau of the Walloon Parliament also takes a step aside, he announced to Le Soir.
“I feel like I haven’t done anything wrong. I consider that since I took over the presidency in September 2019, I have done things as they should be done. It is out of the question for me to resign alone and to give the idea that a fault has been committed on my part. But on the other hand, I subscribe to the request for a collective resignation from the Bureau. In order to make it possible, I am therefore available to resign spontaneously”he said.
Last Friday, the president of the PS, Paul Magnette, had called on the entire Bureau of the Walloon Parliament to resign, following the revelations regarding the crazy expenses operated by the assembly and an expensive trip by the clerk Frédéric Janssens and Jean-Claude Marcourt in Dubai a year ago. Sophie Pécrials (PS) had quickly announced her withdrawal from the Bureau where she sat.
On the side of the MR, Georges-Louis Bouchez had for his part estimated that the two liberals within the Bureau, Jacqueline Galant and Sybille de Coster-Bauchau, did not have to withdraw, the responsibility for the events resting mainly on Jean-Claude Marcourt, according to him. On the side of Ecolo, Manu Disabato, fifth and last member of the Bureau, had issued an ultimatum Monday morning, announcing his resignation from the body if Jean-Claude Marcourt did not throw in the towel before Monday evening.
The announcement Monday evening of the president of the assembly does not fully clarify the political imbroglio, the Liègeois only intending to withdraw in the event of a collective resignation. On Twitter, the president of the PS quickly welcomed Mr. Marcourt’s decision “to resign in order to make possible the renewal of the Bureau of the Parliament of Wallonia”. “This act was necessary to restore the credibility of the institution and restore confidence between Walloon citizens and their elected representatives”added Carolo.
Regarding the other members, Manu Disabato (Ecolo) announced in the evening his withdrawal from the Bureau of the Walloon Parliament, following the announcement of Jean-Claude Marcourt. “I think it is necessary for the whole of the Bureau to be renewed, so that Parliament regains serenity. I have therefore communicated to the clerk my decision to withdraw from it. It is my decision”the MP said in a statement.