French friends, we will have to learn to compromise.
In Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, governments are always the result of negotiations between several parties. In France, on the other hand, the idea of compromise is clearly not part of the political culture, notes the Belgian newspaper “De Standaard” after the fall of the Bayrou government.
What a strange irony. Often mocked for its political confusion and chronic lack of government , Belgium is now seen as “a haven of tranquility while much of Europe is experiencing storms,” notes De Morgen .
One only has to look at neighboring countries: in the Netherlands, the government has managed the feat of falling twice ; in Germany, Chancellor Merz's position is fragile; and now, in France, a new government has fallen. After losing the vote of confidence he sought in the Assembly, Prime Minister François Bayrou, disavowed, must submit his resignation to the president on September 9.
For De Standaard , which in a long article describes a crisis of "caricatured proportions", the crux of the problem lies in the inability of French politicians to compromise.
In countries with proportional electoral systems, such as Belgium, the Netherlands, or Germany, the ballot box does not produce a single winner; the result is usually fragmented. Parties must therefore agree to secure a majority of seats and form a government.
This is not at all what happened after the early legislative elections of summer 2024 , observes the leading Flemish daily, f
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