2010 Belgian government formation
Encyclopedia
Following the Belgian general election
held on 13 June 2010, a process of cabinet formation started in Belgium
. The election produced a very fragmented political landscape, with 11 parties elected to the Chamber of Representatives, none of which have more than 20 percent of the seats. The separatist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the largest party in Flanders
and the country as a whole, controls 27 of 150 seats in the lower chamber. The Francophone Socialist Party (PS), the largest in Wallonia, controls 26 seats. Cabinet negotiations have continued for a long time. On 1 June 2011, Belgium matched the record for time taken to form a new democratic government after an election, at 353 days, held until then by Cambodia
in 2003-04. On 11 October 2011, the final agreement for institutional reform was presented to the media. However, a government coalition still has to be formed.
. The Walloon population accuses the Flemish of being segregationist with language policy in the Flemish region.
The most recent election was fought mainly on the failure to resolve the conflict over the electoral arrondissement of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
. The conflict centered on political and linguistic differences in the arrondissement, with the Flemish desiring to split the arrondissement into two separate areas, while the Walloons wish to keep it together.
(N-VA) announced he would seek negotiations with the PS. PS leader Elio di Rupo
was tipped to become the next Prime Minister, because the "Socialist" parties emerged as the largest "party family" in the elections (39 seats in total), and because the N-VA lacks a Francophone counterpart.
The King of Belgium, Albert II
, gave Bart De Wever the task of informateur (someone who prepares for a formateur, the person who leads the formation of a coalition government) to smooth the path for the future government. One of the tipped "optimal" coalitions is what is called the "mirror government," a government using the same coalitions that exist in the Flemish (CD&V, N-VA and SP.A) and Walloon (PS, CDH and Ecolo
) regions respectively, though in the federal government.
. However, on 9 July the king appointed Di Rupo "pre-formateur
" instead, a new position stopping short of the traditional prime-minister-in-waiting role of formateur; it was likely intentionally established as a new position as appointing Di Rupo as "explorer" or "deminer" would have reminded voters of the government formation crisis of 2007–2008.
Originally, Di Rupo seemed to be, according to analysts, looking at the possibility of a coalition between the N-VA, CD&V and the SP.a on the Flemish side. However, Di Rupo eventually expanded his consultations to include the heads of the major democratic political parties in order to forge a so-called "dual approach", attempting to create the two-thirds majority needed to enact institutional reforms, especially in the case of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
.
Unfortunately, Di Rupo was unable to reach a consensus between the parties. The N-VA and the CD&V accused the Walloon parties of moving too slowly in negotiations, as well as being too vague and too reserved in the details on the concessions they were willing to make. On 29 July 2010, Di Rupo met with the King to give the sovereign a progress report on negotiations.
In a press conference the next day, Di Rupo explained where the deadlock lay. The parties involved were able to reach an agreement on how much control each region would have on income and spending, but were stuck on the issues of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
and funding for Brussels.
An agreement was not reached, and Di Rupo again asked the King to relieve him of his duties as pre-formateur on 3 September.
, N-VA Senator and President of the Belgian Senate and André Flahaut
, PS Representative and President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives to act as mediators in order to revive the negotiating process.
The two mediators met with members of the seven parties and attempted to make some headway in the stalled negotiations by creating a framework to address concerns brought up in the pre-forming negotiations, something that the PS and the N-VA agreed to work within.
Concurrently, however, tensions began to strain negotiations, with the PS displaying frustration at the state of negotiations and accusing the N-VA of trying to sabotage the process. The N-VA suggested that the PS and the other Walloon parties were merely unwilling to part with the "pocket money federalism", which refers to the distribution of financial means in Belgium where the regional governments are not accountable for their earnings or spendings.
from the Parti Socialiste (PS). “What is on the table is a fundamental reform of Belgium and at the last moment Bart De Wever, with tears in his eyes, says ‘no, sorry, but this is not enough'”
The next day, the king dismissed Pieters and Flahaut as mediators.
On 17 October, De Wever presented to the parties the first written proposal of the negotiations. Within 24 hours, it was rejected by the Francophone parties (PS, cdH & Ecolo).
, a former president of Flemish social-democratic party SP.a, to be a mediator to resume government formation talks soon. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yves Leterme's outgoing government was asked by the King to stay on as a caretaker government with limited powers. As a result of this crisis, Belgium had no budget for 2011 and continued functioning with regular resolutions which prolonged the 2010 budget from month to month. Eventually on 10 January 2011, with no end to the political crisis in sight, and financial markets becoming alarmed about the lack of progress in addressing the budget deficit, Belgian King Albert II asked caretaker prime minister Leterme to craft a new budget for 2011.
While Vande Lanotte was preparing his proposal, the government formation broke the 2007 record
of 194 days on 25 December.
On the evening of 3 January 2011, the presidents of each of the seven parties received a copy of the proposal by Vande Lanotte, which had been three months in the making. Each copy had ever so minimal differences as to recognize the source of any potentially leaked document. The 60-page-long document contains five chapters:
The following day, all negotiating parties responded. The Flemish parties expressed strong reservations about Vande Lanotte's proposals, while the Francophone parties were lukewarm. Eventually five of the seven parties agreed to Vande Lanotte's proposal, but two Flemish parties rejected it outright.
On 6 January 2011, Vande Lanotte submitted his resignation to the king, requesting to be relieved of his position as mediator as he claimed there was a lack of political will to reach an agreement. However the resignation was rejected by King Albert. The King however assigned De Wever and Di Rupo to work in close cooperation with Vande Lanotte to reach an agreement that both the N-VA and the PS could support. This "triumvirate
" did not work out, and on 26 January 2011 Vande Lanotte again requested the King to relieve him of his task, to which the King agreed.
was appointed informateur by the king on 2 February 2011 and reported to the king on 16 February 2011, although the mission was extended to 1 March.
was appointed negotiator (onderhandelaar) on 2 March 2011 by the king to try to find an agreement on state reform. He tendered his resignation on 12 May 2011.
, someone to lead the formation of a coalition government, on 16 May 2011 by the king. Di Rupo presented his report and a negotiation proposal on 5 July 2011. However, De Wever rejected the proposal on 7 July 2011. There are now discussions whether an international mediator is a viable option, or whether elections will have to be held. Di Rupo tendered his resignation as formateur on 9 July 2011.
On 15 July 2011, he started a final attempt to form a government, with negotiations excluding N-VA, but including CD&V (who had previously stated they would not join a government without N-VA). On 20 July 2011, CD&V accepted certain conditions set by Di Rupo regarding the BHV issue, signaling a breakthrough in coalition negotiations.
On 6 September 2011, Di Rupo presented his updated reform plan. This was seen as the final push to finish coalition negotiations; should this attempt fail, early elections were expected to take place.
Amid news that caretaker PM Leterme would become deputy secretary-general of the OECD in 2012, coalition talks failed yet again on 14 September 2011, with an emergency meeting set for the same day. In the night from 14 September to 15 September 2011, a compromise deal was finally reached on BHV. Late on 7 October 2011, the final details of the state reform were finally agreed upon.
However, a government coalition still has to be formed. The green
parties Groen! and Ecolo will not be in the coalition, because only a normal majority is needed to form a government. However, there will not be a majority on the Flemish side. A nuclear power phaseout was also agreed.
Towards the end of July 2011, party leaders of the Rattachist
-separatist Walloon Rally
(which does not have any seats in parliament) have had talks with the Union for a Popular Movement
of French President Nicolas Sarkozy
and the French Socialist Party
resulting that in the event of the split with Flanders
, Wallonia could become the 28th region of France
. In a poll of the French daily newspaper Le Figaro suggest that around half of Walloons and around 66% of French Republic citizens favour this plan. Most Walloon parties have not been campaigning to become part of the French Republic as a solution to the political crisis but state that this would be the best outcome in the event of the partition of Belgium
, with the exception of the Walloon Rally who have been campaigning for partition and accession to the French Republic since 1968.
Belgian minister for Climate and Energy, Paul Magnette
, also suggested to incorporate Wallonia into Germany
instead of France if the crisis in Belgium were to escalate.
Belgian general election, 2010
General elections were held in Belgium on 13 June 2010. After the fall of the previous government over the withdrawal of Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats from the government the King dissolved the legislature and called new elections...
held on 13 June 2010, a process of cabinet formation started in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The election produced a very fragmented political landscape, with 11 parties elected to the Chamber of Representatives, none of which have more than 20 percent of the seats. The separatist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the largest party in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and the country as a whole, controls 27 of 150 seats in the lower chamber. The Francophone Socialist Party (PS), the largest in Wallonia, controls 26 seats. Cabinet negotiations have continued for a long time. On 1 June 2011, Belgium matched the record for time taken to form a new democratic government after an election, at 353 days, held until then by Cambodia
Cambodian parliamentary election, 2003
The 2003 Cambodian parliamentary election took place on 27 July 2003 in Cambodia to elect members of the National Assembly. The election was won by the incumbent Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party, who claimed a majority of 73 seats in the 123-seat parliament...
in 2003-04. On 11 October 2011, the final agreement for institutional reform was presented to the media. However, a government coalition still has to be formed.
Background
Tensions had risen between the Flemish and Walloons: Flanders accuses the Walloon region of being dependent on economic subsidies from the Flemish region; there is also reluctance by the Walloons to learn DutchDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
. The Walloon population accuses the Flemish of being segregationist with language policy in the Flemish region.
The most recent election was fought mainly on the failure to resolve the conflict over the electoral arrondissement of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...
. The conflict centered on political and linguistic differences in the arrondissement, with the Flemish desiring to split the arrondissement into two separate areas, while the Walloons wish to keep it together.
Informateur De Wever
Bart De WeverBart De Wever
Bart Albert Liliane De Wever is a Belgian politician and since 2004 has been the president of the New Flemish Alliance , a Flemish party that strives for an independent Flanders in a united Europe. He has also been a member of the Flemish parliament since 2004...
(N-VA) announced he would seek negotiations with the PS. PS leader Elio di Rupo
Elio Di Rupo
Elio Di Rupo is a Belgian social-democratic politician and the Party Leader of the Socialist Party .-Biography:...
was tipped to become the next Prime Minister, because the "Socialist" parties emerged as the largest "party family" in the elections (39 seats in total), and because the N-VA lacks a Francophone counterpart.
The King of Belgium, Albert II
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
, gave Bart De Wever the task of informateur (someone who prepares for a formateur, the person who leads the formation of a coalition government) to smooth the path for the future government. One of the tipped "optimal" coalitions is what is called the "mirror government," a government using the same coalitions that exist in the Flemish (CD&V, N-VA and SP.A) and Walloon (PS, CDH and Ecolo
Ecolo
Ecolo is a French-speaking Belgian green political party in Wallonia, Brussels and the German-speaking Community of Belgium...
) regions respectively, though in the federal government.
Pre-formateur Di Rupo
De Wever reported back to the king on 8 July 2010, suggesting that there was "not enough agreement on key issues" for a coalition to work and was therefore relieved of his duty as informateur. The king was expected to appoint PS leader Elio Di Rupo as formateurFormateur
A formateur is a politician who is appointed by the head of state to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur is especially important in the politics of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg,...
. However, on 9 July the king appointed Di Rupo "pre-formateur
Formateur
A formateur is a politician who is appointed by the head of state to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur is especially important in the politics of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg,...
" instead, a new position stopping short of the traditional prime-minister-in-waiting role of formateur; it was likely intentionally established as a new position as appointing Di Rupo as "explorer" or "deminer" would have reminded voters of the government formation crisis of 2007–2008.
Originally, Di Rupo seemed to be, according to analysts, looking at the possibility of a coalition between the N-VA, CD&V and the SP.a on the Flemish side. However, Di Rupo eventually expanded his consultations to include the heads of the major democratic political parties in order to forge a so-called "dual approach", attempting to create the two-thirds majority needed to enact institutional reforms, especially in the case of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...
.
Unfortunately, Di Rupo was unable to reach a consensus between the parties. The N-VA and the CD&V accused the Walloon parties of moving too slowly in negotiations, as well as being too vague and too reserved in the details on the concessions they were willing to make. On 29 July 2010, Di Rupo met with the King to give the sovereign a progress report on negotiations.
Attempted resignation
On 29 August 2010, Di Rupo met with King Albert and submitted his resignation as pre-formateur, releasing a statement to the press suggesting that the N-VA and the CD&V were unwilling to continue negotiations. This came on the heels of the N-VA and the CD&V's rejection of a potential compromise. The king, however, refused to accept the resignation, asking Di Rupo to continue as pre-formateur in an attempt to reach one final agreement.In a press conference the next day, Di Rupo explained where the deadlock lay. The parties involved were able to reach an agreement on how much control each region would have on income and spending, but were stuck on the issues of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde
Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...
and funding for Brussels.
An agreement was not reached, and Di Rupo again asked the King to relieve him of his duties as pre-formateur on 3 September.
Mediators Flahaut and Pieters
Upon Di Rupo's resignation, King Albert entrusted Danny PietersDanny Pieters
Danny Pieters is a Belgian politician and is affiliated to the N-VA. He was elected as a member of the Belgian Senate in 2010. He was the 33rd President of the Belgian Senate from July 2010 until October 2011.-Notes:...
, N-VA Senator and President of the Belgian Senate and André Flahaut
André Flahaut
André M.J.Gh. Flahaut is a Belgian politician. He was born on 18 August 1955 in Walhain, then in the province of Brabant and now in the province of Walloon Brabant. Flahaut studied political sciences and public administration at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.He joined the Socialist Party in...
, PS Representative and President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives to act as mediators in order to revive the negotiating process.
The two mediators met with members of the seven parties and attempted to make some headway in the stalled negotiations by creating a framework to address concerns brought up in the pre-forming negotiations, something that the PS and the N-VA agreed to work within.
Concurrently, however, tensions began to strain negotiations, with the PS displaying frustration at the state of negotiations and accusing the N-VA of trying to sabotage the process. The N-VA suggested that the PS and the other Walloon parties were merely unwilling to part with the "pocket money federalism", which refers to the distribution of financial means in Belgium where the regional governments are not accountable for their earnings or spendings.
The N-VA exit negotiations
On 4 October, Bart De Wever called a press conference at his party's headquarters, and announced in a bilingual statement, that the N-VA would be pulling out of the current negotiations, calling on all parties involved to start over. "For us, this story ends," he said in his statement, "I refuse to participate in this childish game". He placed blame for the failure of the talks on the Walloon parties, saying "We received no answers to the vital questions being asked by Flemings". The Walloon parties shot back, saying that they no longer trusted De Wever, and again accused him of trying to deliberately derail negotiations. "After long weeks of negotiations we almost had a deal,” said Laurette OnkelinxLaurette Onkelinx
Laurette A.J. Onkelinx is a Belgian politician from the Francophone Socialist Party. She is the Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health in the Belgian federal government, i.e., the Van Rompuy I Government, which took office on 30 December 2008.-Biography:Born to Gaston Onkelinx and Germaine...
from the Parti Socialiste (PS). “What is on the table is a fundamental reform of Belgium and at the last moment Bart De Wever, with tears in his eyes, says ‘no, sorry, but this is not enough'”
The next day, the king dismissed Pieters and Flahaut as mediators.
Clarificator De Wever
On 8 October, King Albert gave a “clarification task” to Bart De Wever. He had to try to converge the viewpoints of the negotiating parties in 10 days.On 17 October, De Wever presented to the parties the first written proposal of the negotiations. Within 24 hours, it was rejected by the Francophone parties (PS, cdH & Ecolo).
Mediator Vande Lanotte
On 21 October 2010, the King asked Johan Vande LanotteJohan Vande Lanotte
Johan Cyrille Corneel Vande Lanotte is a Belgian politician. He is a member of the SP.A, and became its party president on 15 October 2005...
, a former president of Flemish social-democratic party SP.a, to be a mediator to resume government formation talks soon. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yves Leterme's outgoing government was asked by the King to stay on as a caretaker government with limited powers. As a result of this crisis, Belgium had no budget for 2011 and continued functioning with regular resolutions which prolonged the 2010 budget from month to month. Eventually on 10 January 2011, with no end to the political crisis in sight, and financial markets becoming alarmed about the lack of progress in addressing the budget deficit, Belgian King Albert II asked caretaker prime minister Leterme to craft a new budget for 2011.
While Vande Lanotte was preparing his proposal, the government formation broke the 2007 record
2007–2008 Belgian government formation
The 2007–2008 Belgian government formation followed the general election of 10 June 2007, and consisted of a period of negotiation in which the Flemish parties Flemish Liberal Democratic , Christian Democratic and Flemish and New Flemish Alliance , and the French-speaking parties Reformist...
of 194 days on 25 December.
On the evening of 3 January 2011, the presidents of each of the seven parties received a copy of the proposal by Vande Lanotte, which had been three months in the making. Each copy had ever so minimal differences as to recognize the source of any potentially leaked document. The 60-page-long document contains five chapters:
- Political renewal (SenateBelgian SenateThe Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
reform, concurrent elections each five years, ...) - Transfer of several competences to regions
- Brussels (small internal reform, function of Governor abolished, ...)
- Brussels-Halle-VilvoordeBrussels-Halle-VilvoordeBrussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...
will be split (exceptions for municipalities with language facilities, ...) - Finance law (transfer of taxes to the regions, ...)
The following day, all negotiating parties responded. The Flemish parties expressed strong reservations about Vande Lanotte's proposals, while the Francophone parties were lukewarm. Eventually five of the seven parties agreed to Vande Lanotte's proposal, but two Flemish parties rejected it outright.
On 6 January 2011, Vande Lanotte submitted his resignation to the king, requesting to be relieved of his position as mediator as he claimed there was a lack of political will to reach an agreement. However the resignation was rejected by King Albert. The King however assigned De Wever and Di Rupo to work in close cooperation with Vande Lanotte to reach an agreement that both the N-VA and the PS could support. This "triumvirate
Triumvirate
A triumvirate is a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals, each a triumvir . The arrangement can be formal or informal, and though the three are usually equal on paper, in reality this is rarely the case...
" did not work out, and on 26 January 2011 Vande Lanotte again requested the King to relieve him of his task, to which the King agreed.
Informateur Didier Reynders
Finance minister Didier ReyndersDidier Reynders
Didier J.L. Reynders is a Belgian politician and a member of the Mouvement Réformateur . He is Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance and Institutional Reforms in the Van Rompuy I Government, which took office on 30 December 2008.He was born in Liège as the youngest in a family of...
was appointed informateur by the king on 2 February 2011 and reported to the king on 16 February 2011, although the mission was extended to 1 March.
Negotiator Wouter Beke
CD&V leader Wouter BekeWouter Beke
Wouter Beke is a Belgian politician and a member of the CD&V. He was reelected as a member of the Belgian Senate in 2007.Wouter Beke studied Social Law at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Political Sciences at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven...
was appointed negotiator (onderhandelaar) on 2 March 2011 by the king to try to find an agreement on state reform. He tendered his resignation on 12 May 2011.
Formateur Elio Di Rupo
Elio Di Rupo was appointed formateurFormateur
A formateur is a politician who is appointed by the head of state to lead the formation of a coalition government, after either a general election or the collapse of a previous government. The role of the formateur is especially important in the politics of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg,...
, someone to lead the formation of a coalition government, on 16 May 2011 by the king. Di Rupo presented his report and a negotiation proposal on 5 July 2011. However, De Wever rejected the proposal on 7 July 2011. There are now discussions whether an international mediator is a viable option, or whether elections will have to be held. Di Rupo tendered his resignation as formateur on 9 July 2011.
On 15 July 2011, he started a final attempt to form a government, with negotiations excluding N-VA, but including CD&V (who had previously stated they would not join a government without N-VA). On 20 July 2011, CD&V accepted certain conditions set by Di Rupo regarding the BHV issue, signaling a breakthrough in coalition negotiations.
On 6 September 2011, Di Rupo presented his updated reform plan. This was seen as the final push to finish coalition negotiations; should this attempt fail, early elections were expected to take place.
Amid news that caretaker PM Leterme would become deputy secretary-general of the OECD in 2012, coalition talks failed yet again on 14 September 2011, with an emergency meeting set for the same day. In the night from 14 September to 15 September 2011, a compromise deal was finally reached on BHV. Late on 7 October 2011, the final details of the state reform were finally agreed upon.
Agreement
On 11 October 2011, the agreement between the Flemish parties CD&V, Open VLD, sp.a, Groen! and the Francophone parties PS, MR, CDH and Ecolo for a sixth institutional reform was presented to the media.- The electoral and judicial arrondissement of Brussels-Halle-VilvoordeBrussels-Halle-VilvoordeBrussels-Halle-Vilvoorde is a Belgian electoral and judicial arrondissement in the center of the country, encompassing:* the officially bilingual Brussels-Capital Region, which coincides...
will be split. - Competences worth € 17 billion will be transferred from the federal level to the communities and regions. Regions will receive economy and employment matters, communities will be responsible for family policy.
- The Belgian SenateBelgian SenateThe Belgian Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Chamber of Representatives. It is considered to be the "upper house" of the Federal Parliament.-History and future:...
will no longer be directly elected, but will instead become an assembly of regional parliaments, with fewer members.
However, a government coalition still has to be formed. The green
Green politics
Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
parties Groen! and Ecolo will not be in the coalition, because only a normal majority is needed to form a government. However, there will not be a majority on the Flemish side. A nuclear power phaseout was also agreed.
Further talks
On 21 November 2011, Di Rupo presented a final proposal for the 2012 budget to the negotiation parties; the social and Christian democratic parties accepted it, but the liberal parties refused. Di Rupo then tendered his resignation as formateur to the king, who refused it and asked him to continue forming a government. An agreement was reached on 26 November 2011. The last details were negotiated on 30 November 2011, and the new government was expected to be sworn in on 5 December 2011.Speculation on the possible partition of Belgium
- Main article: Partition of BelgiumPartition of BelgiumThe partition of Belgium, or the dissolution of the Belgian state through the separation of the Dutch-speaking people of the Flanders region and Brussels from the French-speaking people of the Walloon region and Brussels, granting them either independence or respective accession to the Netherlands...
Towards the end of July 2011, party leaders of the Rattachist
Rattachism
Rattachisme is a part of the Walloon movement that advocates the unification of Wallonia with France....
-separatist Walloon Rally
Walloon Rally
The Walloon Rally is a Belgian political party, active in Wallonia since 1968. The party favoured federalism and since 1985 independence....
(which does not have any seats in parliament) have had talks with the Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
of French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
and the French Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
resulting that in the event of the split with Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, Wallonia could become the 28th region of France
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
. In a poll of the French daily newspaper Le Figaro suggest that around half of Walloons and around 66% of French Republic citizens favour this plan. Most Walloon parties have not been campaigning to become part of the French Republic as a solution to the political crisis but state that this would be the best outcome in the event of the partition of Belgium
Partition of Belgium
The partition of Belgium, or the dissolution of the Belgian state through the separation of the Dutch-speaking people of the Flanders region and Brussels from the French-speaking people of the Walloon region and Brussels, granting them either independence or respective accession to the Netherlands...
, with the exception of the Walloon Rally who have been campaigning for partition and accession to the French Republic since 1968.
Belgian minister for Climate and Energy, Paul Magnette
Paul Magnette
Paul Magnette is a Belgian politician for the PS and former political science professor at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles ....
, also suggested to incorporate Wallonia into Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
instead of France if the crisis in Belgium were to escalate.
See also
- 2007–2008 Belgian government formation2007–2008 Belgian government formationThe 2007–2008 Belgian government formation followed the general election of 10 June 2007, and consisted of a period of negotiation in which the Flemish parties Flemish Liberal Democratic , Christian Democratic and Flemish and New Flemish Alliance , and the French-speaking parties Reformist...
- 2007–2011 Belgian political crisis
- 2010–2011 Bosnia and Herzegovina government formation2010–2011 Bosnia and Herzegovina government formationFollowing the Bosnian-Herzegovinian elections held on 3 October 2010, a process of formation of the country's Council of Ministers had begun. The resulting election has produced an immensely fragmented political landscape, resulting in no parliamentary majority almost a year after the election...