Belgium’s King Philippe has begun consulting with party leaders in the current Federal government coalition. This follows Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s (N-VA) resignation yesterday after the government failed to reach a budget agreement.
After De Wever’s resignation, the monarch said he would place it on hold while deliberating with the parties in the federal coalition before Friday. The King also expressed his regret that no agreement had been reached on a credible budget for 2027 “tailored to the current challenges.”
Les Engagés leader Yvan Verougstraete was the first to meet the King on Tuesday morning. The centrist leader had already rejected an offer from Anders, the Flemish-speaking liberals, to form an alternative majority government.
“We have a team and a coach, and it is with this team and this coach that we absolutely must find a solution in the coming days,” Verougstraete said. “I think we must do everything to achieve that.”
Verougstraete argued that finding a solution was what politicians were elected and paid to do and that Les Engagés would keep negotiating until the very last moment, calling it the party’s responsibility.
De Wever had decided to visit the King on Monday following a weekend of unsuccessful bilateral meetings with his ministers.
The budget talks stalled after Vooruit (Flemish social democrats), CD&V (Flemish Christian democrats) and Les Engagés (Francophone centrists) reportedly asked for increased taxes on the “strongest financial shoulders,” something MR (Francophone liberals) and N-VA (Flemish nationalists) strongly oppose.
