In a move to preserve the stability of the government, the Belgian parties PS, Ecolo, and Groen have decided against voting out Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib (MR) following the Brussels

Urban Summit controversy. While the parties acknowledge that trust has not been fully restored in Lahbib, they are reluctant to risk destabilizing the government.

Lahbib faced criticism earlier this week for her involvement in granting visas to a delegation of 14 Iranians ahead of the Brussels Urban Summit. Initially, she shifted blame onto Pascal Smet, who subsequently resigned as Brussels' secretary of state. However, due to significant public uproar and political pressure, Lahbib ultimately admitted her mistake and issued an apology.

Despite the apology, the socialists and greens remained highly critical of Lahbib on Monday, causing uncertainty regarding the fate of the minister and the government as a whole. However, both political groups have now confirmed their support for Lahbib in an upcoming vote scheduled for next Thursday, where her future will be decided.

Prioritizing the stability of the country, the parties express their intentions. "We do not want to jeopardize the country's stability," stated Wouter De Vriendt (Groen). "However, Lahbib must make a commitment to reform the visa procedure, uphold the fight for human rights in Iran, and hold the Iranian ambassador accountable."

PS also maintains its critical stance, highlighting the impact of Lahbib's actions. "The crisis we are currently facing stems from Mrs. Lahbib's inability to provide accurate information to Parliament, which had to endure her mistakes, falsehoods, and attempts to evade responsibility," commented MP Malik Ben Achour. "Our party finds it unacceptable that the MR party repeatedly tried to shift blame onto the Brussels government and others within the federal government."

Despite the remaining criticisms, the majority parties are expected to support a simple motion to reject the opposition's censure motions against Lahbib. It appears that the crisis within the Belgian government surrounding the visa issue with Iranians has reached a resolution, allowing the government to move forward. Photo by IAEA Imagebank, Wikimedia commons.