Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

November 20, 2008 11:49:21 PM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

A Belgian Government, at Last

Posted Dec 19, 07 10:44 AM CST in World 

(Newser) – Six months after inconclusive elections, Belgium will finally get a new government, thanks to a deal struck overnight. The emergency administration, to be led by "outgoing" prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, will include five parties from both French- and Dutch-speaking Belgium and will only govern until March 23, when the binational kingdom will once again go to the polls, reports Deutsche Welle. "The crisis is over for Belgium," said one minister.

Verhofstadt was defeated in the June 10 elections, but squabbling among parties prevented the seeming PM-elect, Yves Leterme, from forming a government. This new interim administration will be able to pass a budget and continue state reforms that have been stalled for months. The five-party coalition includes liberals and Christian democratic parties from both Flanders and Wallonia plus a French socialist party.

Sources Deutsche Welle (Germany), Bloomberg

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Belgian Gov't Collapses After Just 4 Months

    Jul 15, 08 8:13 AM CDT
    Belgian Gov't Collapses After Just 4 Months Belgium's fragile five-party coalition government collapsed last night after only four months in power. Yves Leterme, the prime minister, submitted his resignation to the king after failing to resolve several longstanding disputes between the French- and Dutch-speaking regions of Belgium. The fall of the Leterme government plunges the country into what Bloomberg calls the worst political crisis in its 177-year history. More »

  • Belgium Breaks Impasse, Forms New Govt.

    Mar 18, 08 11:20 AM CDT
    Belgium Breaks Impasse, Forms New Govt. It took 9 months of negotiations and threatened to break the country in two, but Belgium's fractious Dutch- and French-speaking political parties struck a deal today to form a new coalition government and work toward shared priorities. Yves Leterme, the leader of the Flemish center-right party that won the June 2007 elections, will finally become prime minister later this week, Bloomberg reports. More »

  • It's All Greek to Miss Belgium

    Dec 17, 07 2:28 PM CST
    It's All Greek to Miss Belgium The new Miss Belgium sparked fury in Flanders this weekend with her admission that she doesn't speak Dutch, AFP reports. In a country already torn over the Flemish-French conflict that's derailed the government for months, 20-year-old Alizee Poulicek's attempt to speak the language of the country's majority was met with boos and mockery—but she still emerged victorious. More »

  • 6 Months After Losing, He Still Runs Belgium

    Dec 4, 07 10:50 AM CST
    6 Months After Losing, He Still Runs Belgium Six months after he was defeated in inconclusive elections in June, Guy Verhofstadt is still Belgium's "outgoing" prime minister—and might end up leading a new government. Verhofstadt has met with the king twice and now will try to head a provisional coalition of French and Flemish parties, the Guardian reports. It's a stunning reversal for a man written off as finished. More »

  • PM-Elect Quits As Belgian Crisis Deepens

    Dec 2, 07 2:36 PM CST
    PM-Elect Quits As Belgian Crisis Deepens Belgians awoke today to a fresh political crisis: last night Yves Leterme, the putative PM-elect of last summer's inconclusive elections, abandoned his attempts to form a coalition. Leterme submitted his resignation to the king after an ultimatum issued to other party leaders fell on deaf ears, the Observer reports, and the deadlock continues nearly six months after Belgians went to the polls. More »

Belgium's Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, shares a laugh as he casts his vote at a polling station in Ghent, Belgium, Sunday, June 10, 2007.   (Associated Press)
Belgium's Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt arrives for an EU summit in Lisbon in this Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007 file photo.   (Associated Press)
Belgium's Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, casts his vote at a polling station in Ghent, Belgium, Sunday, June 10, 2007.   (Associated Press)
Supporters for unity in Belgium demonstrate in Brussels Sunday, Nov. 18, 2007. Thousands march through Brussels in support of Belgium's survival demanding an end to a deadlock that keeps a government...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

Belgium • Flanders • Yves Leterme • Guy Verhofstadt • interim government


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »