© Kris Van Exel
CD&V will not cooperate with Vlaams Belang. Party chairman Sammy Mahdi emphasized this on Sunday in De Zevende Dag (VRT1) in a response to an earlier statement by his Vlaams Belang colleague that he wants to talk not only with N-VA but also with CD&V after the elections.
Source: BELGA
Yesterday at 4:06 PM
Last Sunday, Tom Van Grieken said that after the elections, if he becomes the largest party in Flanders, he wants to talk to all parties. The ‘spillover’ is greatest with the N-VA, but he also saw similarities with CD&V. He referred to the socio-economic – “we are both in the center” – and the ethical – “where we already work well together”.
But Sammy Mahdi firmly rejected Van Grieken’s offer on Sunday. “We will not cooperate with Vlaams Belang. For that party, Flemish interests become Chinese interests,” he referred to the revelations surrounding Frank Creyelman. He has since been expelled from the party, but Filip Dewinter, who is also said to have dubious Chinese contacts, was given a place on the list, Mahdi noted.
In addition, Mahdi also referred to statements by Dewinter in Humo and the statement at the election congress that the “message of (founder-chairman) Karel Dillen is still the message of the party”. “Dillen was proud to be described as a fascist,” said the CD&V chairman.