Government crisis in Belgium: Prime Minister De Wever offers to resign

For weeks, trade unions, students and pupils in Belgium have been repeatedly attacking the right-wing liberal government under Prime Minister Bart De Wever - because of tough austerity measures and massive social cuts. The protests have recently escalated in Brussels and Liège.

Now De Wever has thrown in the towel. The Flemish nationalist wanted to introduce new budget cuts amounting to 10 billion euros, but did not find support in his coalition. On Monday he therefore offered King Philippe his resignation.

However, Philippe did not immediately accept his resignation. The royal palace in Brussels said the king wanted to hold talks with the five coalition parties before making a decision. De Wever from the Flemish nationalist party N-VA will therefore remain in office for the time being.

Friday is the deadline that the king has given the prime minister and his so-called “Arizona” coalition (the party colors yellow, orange, red and blue correspond to those on the Arizona flag). However, it seems uncertain that an agreement will be reached by then.

It's not just about 10 billion euros that should be saved by 2029, but also about questions of social compatibility and tax justice. The social democratic Flemish “Vooruit” party calls for the burden to be shared on everyone’s shoulders in solidarity.

This would have meant new taxes for the wealthy - but the Liberals strictly reject tax increases. De Wever had tried until Sunday evening to persuade the disputers to compromise - in vain. He is himself under pressure from the EU Commission, which is demanding tough cuts.

The king is also putting pressure on: Given the great geopolitical uncertainty and significant economic challenges, Belgium cannot afford a protracted political crisis, according to the unusually clear message from the royal palace.

Apparently what is meant is the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, but also the home-made budget and social crisis. There have been protests against austerity measures in Belgium for months; At the last major demonstration, around 40,000 people took to the streets at the beginning of October.

New strikes and rallies are already planned for November. Similar to France, there is also a “convergence” between trade unions, left-wing parties, schoolchildren and students in Belgium. However, the kingdom is not as centralized as France.

So far the protests have been concentrated in Brussels and the French-speaking region of Wallonia. But dissatisfaction is also growing in Flanders, De Wever's homeland. There were protests in the art and culture scene against the Flemish regional government's austerity measures.

De Wever is not responsible for all problems. The Belgian Prime Minister has even achieved good popularity ratings. The fact that he resisted the German move to tap Russian assets stored in Belgium for Ukraine earned him a lot of respect.

In terms of domestic policy, De Wever is now in the most serious crisis of his approximately one and a half year in office. The formation of the heterogeneous “Arizona” coalition had already proven to be extremely difficult in 236 days of negotiations. It remains to be seen whether this coalition will pull itself together again.

Initial reactions spoke of “instability” and “political chaos”. The government camp said the situation was serious because Belgium was already heavily indebted and could be penalized by rating agencies. In contrast, the left-wing opposition called for a change in social policy and more tax justice.

The co-president of the Flemish Greens, Gilles Vanden Burre, accused the government of an “ideological” stance. The defense budget could be cut, he said. According to surveys, the communist PTB is ahead in Brussels City. She declared that she would not shed a tear for De Wever. A policy change is overdue.