Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on Tuesday submitted his resignation amid pressure on his government after the biggest coalition party quit over Michel’s support for a UN compact on international migration.
“I am taking the decision to offer my resignation. I am now going to see the king” to inform him, Michel told Belgian lawmakers.
Lawmakers had been demanding he submit his new minority government to a confidence vote, but Michel refused, and a confrontation this week seemed likely.
Photo: AFP
Michel tried to convince the Belgian Chamber of Representatives of the reshaped government’s plans and said he would be ready to work with the opposition, but his overtures were rejected. His budget for next year was among the sensitive topics up for debate.
Some in the assembly pushed for an election to be held before the regularly scheduled one in May, but Michel again refused, saying it would only lead to “stagnation for the whole of 2019.”
After a short break for reflection, he announced he was resigning instead.
As lawmakers applauded, he picked up his briefcase, shook the hands of a number of government ministers and left.
Michel made no comment to reporters upon entering and leaving Belgian King Philippe’s residence, the Palace of Laeken in Brussels.
The king holds a largely symbolic role in Belgium, but becomes a pivotal figure after inconclusive elections or disputes that require the formation of new governments.
In a tweet, the palace said that Philippe had received Michel and was “withholding his decision” about what steps to take next.
Belgian media said the king was to meet party leaders yesterday before deciding whether to accept the resignation.
Michel could be invited to lead a caretaker government until an election can be held.
It is the first time the king has faced such a crisis. He ascended to the throne in 2013 after his father, King Albert II, abdicated for health reasons.
The right-wing New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) party quit the government after Michel sought parliamentary approval to support the UN compact against its wishes, branding his minority government “the Marrakesh coalition,” after the city where the migration treaty was signed just more than a week ago.
The accord is non-binding, but the N-VA said it still went too far and would give even migrants who were in Belgium without authorization many additional rights.
The party launched a social media campaign against the compact, featuring photographs of Muslim women with their faces covered and claiming that the accord focused on allowing migrants to retain the cultural practices of their homelands.
However, it quickly withdrew the materials after the campaign received widespread criticism.
A number of governments refused to sign the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. They included the US and a group of EU countries.
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