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Path cleared for Belgian PM to finally begin term

The government of Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has won a confidence vote in parliament that finally clears the way for his term of office to start after a nine-month political crisis.

Ninety-seven lawmakers in the 150-member lower House of Representatives backed Leterme's plans for government in a confidence vote on Saturday.

The Leterme-led five-party coalition promises to raise pensions and offer tax cuts for the lowest income earners. But opposition lawmakers in the pre-vote debate accused the new government of vagueness in its promises.

The special parliamentary session was the last hurdle for Leterme to cross before he could take power and end the crisis that had threatened to split the country apart between Dutch-speaking Flanders and Francophone Wallonia. Approval of the government was never in doubt as Leterme's coalition controls 101 seats in the lower chamber.

The parliament's upper Senate chamber rubber stamped the vote later on Saturday.

Leterme, whose Flemish Christian Democratic Party was the biggest winner in the June 10 election, reached a coalition deal on Tuesday ending the stalemate between political parties.

However, deep divisions still remain over how far the government should go to introduce new reforms for the Belgian state.

The issue had caused bitter rifts among political parties and hampered Leterme's efforts to form a government after the June election.

A majority of Flemish parties in the parliament are demanding that more powers, like labor policies, be shifted from the federal government to the regional governments in Flanders and Wallonia. Francophone parties vehemently oppose such a move because their region is poorer than its northern counterpart and could not afford to fund such policies alone.

Many Francophone lawmakers also fear such a shift of powers could spell the end of Belgium.

Grumbling among members of Leterme's coalition parties emerged on Saturday questioning the new premier's commitment to constitutional reform. Other issues such as the number of Walloons and women in the 22-member Cabinet were also raised.

This raises questions about whether the alliance is secure enough to survive its four-year mandate.

Ahead of the vote Leterme hit back at critics within his own party and others.

"We are not just putting promises and big words on the table, but clear deeds," Leterme told lawmakers.

He said his government would report back to the parliament in mid-July on what constitutional reforms it would propose.

His government plan leaves out any mention of constitutional reform, which will continue to be handled by a special panel of lawmakers.

"Leterme set demands for Flanders ... but he has now dropped them," said Gerolf Annemans, a lawmaker from the separatist Flemish Interest party.

Green lawmakers accused the new government of not setting out clear spending plans to secure pensions and on protecting the environment.

Leterme's own party warned it could pull the plug on the coalition in July if talks to secure more powers for the regions do not succeed.
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