New Coalition Government Formed in Belgium Under Bart De Wever After Lengthy Negotiations

On Friday, a coalition agreement involving five Belgian parties was finalized, allowing Bart De Wever, the head of the Flemish conservative party N-VA, to prepare for his role as the country's new prime minister. This marks a significant moment, as De Wever will be the first prime minister from the Dutch-speaking Flanders region and has recently moderated his stance on Flanders' independence aspirations. In a nod to historical significance, he referenced Julius Caesar's famous quote "Alea iacta est" on social media while sharing a handshake with King Philippe of Belgium.

The royal palace has confirmed this right-leaning coalition, pending formal approval from the involved parties. Belgium is known for its divided French and Dutch-speaking communities and a complex political landscape that often leads to prolonged coalition negotiations; the record stands at 541 days. Following the June elections, which failed to yield a clear majority, it took five parties several months to negotiate the coalition, with De Wever’s N-VA winning the most seats.

While initially, there was optimism that discussions could be quicker due to the strength of the right and centre-right parties in the elections, challenges arose regarding addressing the country's budget deficit, which is projected to be 4.4% of GDP this year. De Wever, who has served as the mayor of Antwerp since 2013, advocated for significant cuts to social benefits and changes to pension reforms, facing pushback from labor unions.

As negotiations reached a crucial point, De Wever indicated that he might abandon the coalition efforts if no agreement was achieved by Friday evening, leading to a final marathon session of 60 hours to resolve outstanding differences within their extensive 800-page program. The coalition consists of three parties from Flanders — N-VA, centrist Christian-Democrats, and left-leaning Vooruit — along with two parties from Wallonia, the centrist Les Engagés and the centre-right Reformist Movement. Collectively, they hold 81 seats in Belgium’s 150-seat parliament.

Belgium finds itself among several European Union nations facing disciplinary action for exceeding the fiscal deficit limit of 3% of GDP. As De Wever prepares for his new role, he will be succeeding Alexander De Croo, who has been serving as caretaker prime minister since the elections while his previous coalition struggled to emerge from protracted negotiations lasting 493 days between 2019 and 2020.