Khattabi Urges MR to Withdraw Text on Foyer Anderlechtois Inquiry

Zakia Khattabi, leader of the Ecolo (Green) group in the Brussels Parliament, called on the liberal MR party on Monday to withdraw its proposed text establishing a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the Foyer Anderlechtois social housing scandal, warning that proceeding could collapse the governing majority. The appeal comes as the Brussels coalition, formed after a grueling 600-day political crisis, faces its most serious test since taking office.

Background: The Foyer Anderlechtois Scandal

The crisis stems from an investigation by Flemish public broadcaster VRT’s program “Pano,” which revealed allegations of political interference in social housing allocation at the Foyer Anderlechtois, a public housing company in Anderlecht. Lotfi Mostefa (PS), the company’s president and alderman for Housing in Anderlecht, is accused of intervening in housing allocation files, clientelism, and vote-buying during the 2024 election campaign.

The scandal escalated rapidly. On May 28, raids were conducted at the Foyer headquarters and Mostefa’s home. The Brussels prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation, the fourth involving Anderlecht in recent years.

Three Competing Proposals

The Brussels Parliament’s General Affairs Committee is meeting this afternoon to consider three competing texts proposing a commission of inquiry. Ecolo has submitted a proposal supported by the opposition PTB and DéFI parties. The MR has filed its own text, and a third proposal may also be on the table.

Khattabi argued that the MR should support Ecolo’s opposition text rather than filing its own, which she described as “a provocation, a bomb under the seat of the majority.” Speaking to BX1, she said: “The opposition has done its job; the majority parties can support it without going to the ultimate provocation of filing their own text. If the liberals do not want to blow up their majority, I invite them to withdraw their text.”

Coalition Under Pressure

The Brussels coalition government brings together six parties across linguistic and ideological lines: PS, MR, Les Engagés, Vooruit, CD&V, and Anders. The Foyer scandal has exposed deep fractures within this fragile alliance.

The PS is directly exposed. Mostefa is a prominent figure in the party’s Anderlecht stronghold. Jamal Ikazban, PS group leader in the Brussels Parliament, warned on May 30 that if the MR pushes ahead, the PS “will no longer feel bound” by the majority agreement, calling the MR’s initiative a “betrayal.”

On the other side, Anders (the Flemish liberal party, successor to Open VLD) has threatened to leave the government if a commission of inquiry is not established. Frédéric De Gucht, president of Anders, stated: “A commission of inquiry is not an option, it is an obligation, not towards the opposition, not towards the press, but towards every Brussels resident who still has an ounce of trust in this region.”

MR’s Internal Dilemma

The MR finds itself caught between conflicting pressures. Local party figures demand accountability and transparency. However, party leadership must weigh the risk of collapsing the government against the electoral damage signaled by a recent RTBF/VRT poll showing the MR at just 14% in Brussels, down from 21% in the 2024 elections. Minister-President Boris Dilliès (MR) faces what La Libre described as his “first real crash test” this afternoon.

Adding to the complexity, under parliamentary rules, the presidency of any commission of inquiry would fall to a PS deputy — a situation Khattabi called “difficult to imagine” given the party’s fierce opposition to the inquiry.

Broader Implications

The outcome of today’s committee meeting will determine the trajectory of the Brussels government. Three scenarios are possible: the MR withdraws its text and supports Ecolo’s proposal, averting an immediate crisis; the MR proceeds, potentially triggering a PS exit from the coalition; or the commission is blocked, leading Anders to follow through on its threat to leave.

Any collapse would be politically devastating for all parties involved, coming so soon after the record 600-day deadlock that followed the 2024 elections. DéFI has also raised questions about the regularity of those elections, referring the matter to the ethics committee.

What to Watch

All eyes are on the General Affairs Committee meeting this afternoon. The decision will signal whether the Brussels coalition can survive its most severe test or whether the region faces yet another prolonged period of political uncertainty. Lotfi Mostefa has not yet publicly responded to the allegations, and the judicial investigation could further reshape the political calculus in the weeks ahead.