2023-10-07 12:50:00
Things are speeding up at MR. We know that President Georges-Louis Bouchez is criticized internally. Some want to tighten his powers in exchange for a one-year extension of his mandate, beyond the electoral deadlines of June and October 2024. Several blue sources fear that their president will act as a foil for voters. And, above all, that the MR cannot sit at the negotiating table for future government majorities because of the detestable relationships that Georges-Louis Bouchez maintains with the other party presidents.
As La Libre revealed last Monday, even the diplomat Sophie Wilmès, the former Prime Minister, is starting to have enough. During the last party office, she denounced the omnipresence of the young Montois in party communications. An axis has therefore been structured among the liberals to try to frame the omnipresidency of Bouchez, a question which has arisen almost since the start of his mandate at the head of the MR. This hard core is made up of Sophie Wilmès, therefore, Pierre-Yves Jeholet (the Minister-President of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation) and Willy Borsus (Walloon Minister of the Economy), very discreet on the issue with journalists but very active behind the scenes.
”Willy Borsus is the most determined person”
“A lot of things are being said at the moment, a lot of scenarios are circulating,” confides a leading liberal source. From one minute to the next, things change. But one thing is clear: Willy Borsus is the person most determined to achieve change. His position in the Walloon government is delicate and Georges-Louis criticizes his record, which creates tensions.”
Alongside the increasingly inflexible will of Willy Borsus, Pierre-Yves Jeholet and Sophie Wilmès seem, at this stage, more flexible. “Pierre-Yves Jeholet fluctuates: he is motivated and then a little less. And vice versa. Sophie is annoyed by Georges-Louis but her obsession is to know what is best for the party. She believes that a poorly calibrated decision regarding the presidency might do worse rather than better,” adds our informant.
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Sophie Wilmès is annoyed by Georges-Louis but her obsession is to know what is best for the party.”
A triumvirate at the head of the MR?
If no solution can really be found in the coming weeks (at the latest, at the end of November, at the end of the normal term of the presidential mandate), we will have to bring out the atomic weapon: a change at the head of the political party . Willy Borsus might play a role, but not alone. One of the options consists of placing a triumvirate at the head of the MR: Sophie Wilmès, Willy Borsus, Pierre-Yves Jeholet. But without necessarily getting rid of Georges-Louis Bouchez. The latter might keep a role, “but without us being able to agree for the moment on the nature of this role”.
Our sources at the MR deplore the denial in which Georges-Louis Bouchez is locked in with regard to the strength of the internal protest. “Georges-Louis is an extremely intelligent person. But he is in a pattern of victimization, he finds that people are attacking him. He merged his personality and the presidency of the MR, confides a liberal. This is what drives everyone crazy internally, they no longer distinguish the two. This merger involves an extreme concentration of power. And he doesn’t want to understand… He doesn’t realize how much danger he is in. His position is hanging by a thread.”
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Georges-Louis is in a pattern of victimization, he finds that people are attacking him. He merged his personality and the presidency of the MR, confides a liberal. That’s what’s driving everyone crazy internally, they can no longer distinguish between the two.”
The discreet influence of Sophie Wilmès on the important decisions of the MR
The “GLB” rating for the executive office
However, mass is not said: Georges-Louis Bouchez can put out the fire by accepting concessions himself, we hear. An executive office of the MR is planned for this Sunday evening to examine its proposals. According to our information, the liberal president has drawn up a first note (the content of which may still change by Sunday evening).
What can we find in this document? Three elements are discussed: 1) the extension of his mandate; 2) operating proposals for the management of the electoral campaign and the composition of lists; 3) it opens the game to more internal consultation for the organization of negotiations with other political groups with a view to the constitution of new majorities.
Georges-Louis Bouchez would, however, like to keep control of the government negotiations, more than the campaign itself. “If he doesn’t open up the game more, he’s going to have a problem,” a party “baron” believes. He wants to impose his mark in future negotiations. However, this is precisely what scares the party executives: we all think that he can help the MR win the elections but not properly lead the negotiations that will follow.”
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He wants to impose his mark in future negotiations. However, this is precisely what scares party officials.”
If the document developed by Georges-Louis Bouchez should still satisfy Sophie Wilmès, Willy Borsus and Pierre-Yves Jeholet during the office scheduled for Sunday evening, a party council (internal decision-making body of the MR which includes a large panel of representatives) will be then convened Monday morning to officially approve the one-year extension of the presidency of Georges-Louis Bouchez.
What will Charles Michel do? The question torments the MR
Bouchez maintains support: “This is not the first time that a president of the MR has been challenged”
Please note, the liberal president is not without support within his party. If several elected officials remain very critical of the Bouchez style, many defend it. “We have entered the dramatization phase to force the landing, to force a solution, that is clear,” analyzes another heavyweight from the MR who is convinced that “GLB” will be able to stay in place.
Some are also beginning to regret this internal rebellion which does not speak its name. Since it seems so complicated to accept a one-year extension of the presidential mandate, why not then call internal elections for the end of this year? “Framing your presidency, reconciling, all these are fine words,” annoys a deputy who is nevertheless skeptical of Georges-Louis Bouchez. We must also give him visibility as president. Georges-Louis knows very well that, if there is an internal election, he will win it. And his detractors don’t dare to go there frankly, so… Funny state of mind. Let’s go to the elections then! We are doing harm to the party by letting things drag on like this. The Michel family let go of Bouchez. Charles has been active all summer in saying all the bad things he thinks of him, but he has no alternative. We have the impression of rewriting history, this is not the first time that a president of the MR has been challenged. Do you remember the rebellion in 2014 when we entered the majority with the N-VA? And what Didier Reynders experienced when he was at the head of the party? All this seems forgotten… The other presidents were not more appreciated.”
gull
The Michel family let go of Bouchez. Charles has been active all summer saying all the bad things he thinks of him, but he has no alternative.”
Will the heavyweights of the MR manage to restore unity in their ranks? ©PRE
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