All eyes are on CD&V’s Wouter Beke now. When formateur Elio Di Rupo (PS) produced a document for the formation of a new government, seven parties (socialists, greens, and liberals from both sides of the language frontier and the Frenchspeaking Christian democrats) accepted it as a starting point (!) for negotiations. The nationalist N-VA, the winner of the federal elections in Flanders, rejected it outright.

The answer of the Flemish Christian democrats was less clear – typical, some people would say, of the party that has a reputation for saying “on the one hand this, on the other that.” Party president Beke first declared that there was no point in having talks without N-VA. Only later did he come up with CD&V’s own objections, which have to do with the conditions attached to the split of the BHV constituency and with the budgetary efforts demanded from the regions.

Most parties have become convinced that an agreement with N-VA will never be possible. This means that CD&V is needed for a new coalition. Without it, there is no two thirds majority in parliament to vote the long awaited state reform. For this reason, Beke was invited to clarify his party’s position last Friday. All of this happened in total discretion – a rarity in Belgian politics and one that demonstrates the gravity of the situation.

CD&V and Beke, who suffered a humiliating defeat at the elections, some 400 days ago, have been accused of hiding behind N-VA’s back ever since. Beke could opt to enter a government without N-VA after all. This could then be explained as taking up responsibility and finally resolving the prickly issue of BHV once and for all. However, it also leaves CD&V open to accusations of giving in to the French-speakers, which contributed to its disastrous election result to begin with. Indeed, on the one hand this, on the other that.

The Flemish Christian democrats pride themselves on upholding the state, no matter what. Wouter Beke now finds out exactly how hard that can be. A lot harder, it turns out, than winning a Pyrenees stage in the Tour.