Government crisis in Belgium, Prime Minister De Wever resigns: King Philip I starts consultations

Deep divisions within the governing coalition over fiscal measures are behind the stalemate. King Philip I has frozen the decision on resignation and will start consultations with the majority parties

Belgium risks a political crisis after the failure of negotiations on the budget. Prime Minister Bart De Wever has resigned to King Philippe I, after days of unsuccessful negotiations within the center-right "Arizona" coalition on the federal budget and the public finances recovery plan.

The resignation of the prime minister

"King Philip I received Bart De Wever in audience. The Prime Minister resigned following the failure of budget negotiations. The King reserves the right to make a decision and, starting tomorrow, will begin a series of consultations with the leaders of the majority parties." The Royal Palace makes this known. "The king - it is underlined - regrets that no agreement has been reached on a credible and adequate budget for current challenges. In a context characterized by great geopolitical uncertainty and considerable economic difficulties, the country cannot afford a prolonged political crisis".

The stalemate on the maneuver

The break comes at the end of weeks of discussions within the majority. Overnight, the limited council of ministers ("kern") was unable to reach an agreement either on the 2027 federal budget or on the objective of a 10 billion euro recovery by 2029. The discussion on the budget has engaged the center-right coalition in recent weeks, without success. Belgium has to deal with a deficit of 5% and a debt that is around 110% of GDP and is forced into a severe recovery procedure according to the rules of the Stability Pact.

The divisions in the coalition

While the opposition harshly criticizes the government's admission of failure on the budget, the second majority party, the Mouvement Réformateur (MR), center-right liberals from the European Renew family - through the voice of its deputy prime minister David Clarinval - maintains that "the volume of taxes on the table remains far too high". The Belgian agency reports it. According to Clarinval, "refusing to implement concrete reforms to reduce public spending condemns the country to accumulate an ever-increasing deficit, which taxes are no longer able to cover". On the opposite front, the centre-left parties Vooruit and Les Engagés are instead asking for a more substantial contribution from the higher income groups.

The appeal of the Christian Democrats

In the midst of the crisis, the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V) urges us not to give up. "Our country has no time to waste. All partners must realize the gravity of the situation and resume discussions as soon as possible," he said. "A possible government crisis would not solve any problems; on the contrary, it would risk creating new ones."