Development, Digital Agenda, Postal services and Finance, Alexander
De Croo of the Open VLD party (R), gestures as he speaks during a
press conference following a last night of inter-party negociations
to form a new government, on September 30, 2020. (Photo by François
WALSCHAERTS / AFP)
Flemish liberal leader Alexander De Croo will be
Belgium’s new prime minister at the head of a seven-party coalition
government, it was announced Wednesday — 16 months after an
inconclusive election.
De Croo’s French-speaking socialist rival Paul Magnette
confirmed that the parties had chosen the 44-year-old finance
minister as premier. He is to be sworn in on Thursday by Belgium’s
king.
By choosing a Flemish leader, the incoming government hopes to
balance the fact that its parliamentary base will be drawn from
mainly French-speaking parties, with the main Dutch-speaking groups
in opposition.
“We flipped a coin and it came down to Alexander and it’s an
excellent choice,” Magnette joked at the end of the press
conference to present the outcome of the negotiations.
Belgium has had no governing majority for 21 months since the
collapse of former leader Charles Michel’s government, and it has
been 493 days since federal elections failed to resolve the
crisis.
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Leaders from seven parties met until the early hours on
Wednesday before coming to an agreement on a government programme
and cabinet line-up to be presented to King Philippe.
De Croo will replace French-speaking liberal leader Sophie
Wilmes who has served as acting premier during the coronavirus
epidemic but never wielded a parliamentary majority.
The new coalition will bring together two socialist parties —
one French-speaking, and one Flemish — two liberal parties and two
sets of greens.
The CD&V, a party of Flemish Christian democrats will also
join, but the larger Flemish nationalist N-VA, which was in
government between 2014 and 2018 will leave power.
Belgium’s House of Representatives is expected to meet on
Thursday to endorse the new government.
The country has been governed by a minority coalition since
December 2018, when the N-VA abruptly left Michel’s government
during a row about immigration.
The legislative election of May 2019 saw gains by various green
and fringe groupings, further fragmenting the political landscape
and making it harder to build a majority around the traditional
parties.
Belgium has a long history of political instability and
previously went without a government for 541 days in 2010 and
2011.
AFP
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