On Monday, King Philippe of Belgium accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo following the failure of the Flemish liberals of Open Vdl in the regional, federal, and European elections. Despite this setback, the government will remain in office until a new one is formed. The Belgian Royal House confirmed the news on social media about the king’s audience with the prime minister. The message stated that the King accepted De Croo’s decision to resign and entrusted them with managing current affairs.
Shortly after, Prime Minister De Croo also announced on social media that he had resigned due to his party’s defeat in these elections. He acknowledged this as a disappointment and took responsibility for it. De Croo stated that his government would manage current affairs until a new one was formed. This will be especially important as European political forces are currently negotiating to renew European institutions after June 9th’s elections. The Belgian Prime Minister is among those being considered for some key positions within these negotiations.
The Belgian king has already begun reaching out to different parties to form the next federal Executive in coming days. As with many countries, Belgium’s political landscape is complex due to mirror parties in Flanders and Wallonia making coalition building challenging. However, several groups have opened themselves up to pacts with previously excluded Flanders parties from forming part of the federal government. The process of forming a new government will likely be an exciting development within Belgium’s political sphere.
In conclusion, while Monday marked a significant moment for Belgian politics with Alexander De Croo accepting his party’s defeat and resigning as Prime Minister, it also paves way for new developments within Belgium’s complex political landscape. With ongoing negotiations surrounding European institutions renewal and coalition-building challenges, it remains to be seen what changes will occur in Belgium’s future government formation process.
