Bart De Wever at the election conference: “We have the strength of our conviction. It will come from the N-VA, or it will not come at all.”

In a bustling Capitole in Ghent, the N-VA entered the final straight towards the elections on 9 June. The party presented its election programme there. According to N-VA national Chairman Bart De Wever, it is a programme that offers the much-needed formulations to structurally protect our Flemish prosperity. “On 9 June, we must triumph. And then we will do everything we can to deliver. We have the expertise, the experience and the administrative capacity for it. It will come from the N-VA, or it will not come at all. No one else will do it. No one else can do it.”

“It is time for a paradigm shift. The budget must be put in order, all people who work must earn at least EUR 500 net more, social policy must become much fairer, the nuclear phase-out law must finally be scrapped, investments in security and defence must increase and the migration policy must be based on the Australian model,” Bart De Wever said in his speech. With this, he at once also summarised the essence of the N-VA election programme.

No one else can do it

According to De Wever, it will be up to the N-VA to bring about this turnaround. Because no one else can do it, and no one else will do it. “People are hoping for a victory of the extremes and a weakening of the N-VA. Then nothing stands in the way of a Vivaldi II government (the current so-called Vivaldi government is composed of liberal, green and left-wing parties), which will be even more dominated by the French-speaking left. We must make it clear to the Flemish that there are only three choices: choose a Vivaldi party and you are taking a direct route to Vivaldi II. Choose an extreme party and you are taking an indirect route to Vivaldi II. Choose the N-VA and you will get to a much-needed turnaround.”

Fully committed to Confederalism If we want to make structural changes, then we have to change the structures. Confederalism is the structural change that this country needs. The basic principle of confederalism is that Flanders and Wallonia are the owners of all powers. They exercise these themselves, but can also make decisions together and manage certain powers together at the confederal level, in both of their interests. This completely reverses the logic. Instead of transferring federal powers to Flanders and Wallonia, these powers can be transferred to the confederal level. Forced cooperation is replaced by voluntary cooperation. Must becomes will. Dismantling from above becomes building up from below. Confederalism is therefore deciding together on what we want to do together. confederalism

But in the current federal straitjacket, not much will come of that turnaround, De Wever added. “For strong and democratic governance, we must push through the transition to confederalism. That is what we are fully committed to. The N-VA has the ideas and the vision, and we have the experienced people to put them into action. But then we must do everything we can in the next six weeks. To convince as many people as possible to make the right choice. The choice for the N-VA. The choice for Flemish prosperity.”