Re: Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's Liberal-Socialist coalition government will offer his resignation Monday, a day after conservatives -- led by Christian Democrats -- posted big gains in general elections.
I think the most likely successor will be what we call a "Jamaica" coalition(*) with Mr Yves Leterme (Fleming, CD&V) as Belgium's next Prime Minister... Somehow, the whole electoral affair boils down the victory of the Belgicains (tentative translation: Belgicists). As I once explained(**), Belgium is increasingly polarized between a rightwing Flanders and a leftwing Wallonia, which never helped to mend the rift between Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking Walloons.... Hence the Belgicains' ploy to scuttle the Parti Socialiste in Wallonia in order to equalize the latter with its rightwing, Flemish neighbor. French-speaking, Socialist Belgicains in cahoots with their soulmates from MR (rightwing) and Ecolo (centre-right) have cunningly used the politicofinancial imbroglio in Charleroi (Wallonia's #1 city) to weaken the regionalist/secessionist wing of the Socialist Party (namely: Messrs Van Cauwenbergh and Van Gompel [ironically, many Walloons bear Flemish names and vice versa]).
I could keep on writing on Belgian politics but I'm afraid it can be a bit irksome, if not arcane, to outsiders....
Gus
(*) belgium1point.blogspot.com
(**) Message 20774429 |
