Belgium's political parties shifted into horse-trading mode yesterday to come up with a new coalition government after voters handed a stinging defeat to Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.
After eight years in power, the prime minister handed his resignation to King Albert II, but will stay on as caretaker in the weeks -- perhaps months -- needed to form a government that can satisfy Belgium's main linguistic communities.
Flemish Christian Democrat (CDV) leader Yves Leterme was widely seen as most likely to emerge as the next prime minister after his party came out on top in the Flanders region in Sunday's legislative elections.
But he will have to convince the French-speaking community in the southern Wallonia region that he really has their interests at heart, after disparaging them for their general failure to master the Dutch language.
"A nice little demining job," was how La Libre Belgique, a French-language daily, described the task ahead for Leterme, whose campaign theme was "CDV in power = reform of the state," meaning more power to Flanders.
Although Leterme is perfectly bilingual thanks to a francophone father and Flemish mother, he has made little effort to bridge the linguistic divide that cuts through Belgian politics and life.
Leterme has stoked controversy in the past in Wallonia, economically poorer by comparison with the Flemish north, by saying that Belgium was an "accident of history" and that the country has no "intrinsic value."
But with most of the other big parties suffering setbacks in Sunday's poll, little was certain about who would be the Christian Democrats partners in the coalition needed to form a federal government.
Victory in Flanders is essential for success in national politics because 60 percent of Belgians live there and the next premier is all but guaranteed to come from the region.
With 30 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, the electoral success of Leterme's CDV will allow them to regain the dominance of Belgian politics they had held for most of the the post-war period.
Although the Christian Democrats are sure to play a central role in the new government, it was less certain what other parties will be included in the necessary coalition.
As always in Belgian politics, language will play a key role as the parties sit down to form a new coalition government.
A linguistic balance is essential.
The CDV's counterparts in Wallonia were expected to refuse to take part in any alliance which could harm their region's interests.
The Socialists, in both communities, were unlikely to play any role after losing nine seats in Flanders and five in Wallonia.
Far-right party Vlaams Belang, meanwhile, won 17 seats, down one from the last elections in 2003, but it will probably remain shunned by other parties and is almost certain to be left out of the coalition.
The center-left Flemish daily De Morgen said no government was likely to be formed any time soon.
Leterme will have to "bandage wounds and soothe damaged egos. It could take a long time. These promise to be difficult negotiations," the paper said.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS