Talks to form Belgian coalition gov’t extended until Thursday

BRUSSELS, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) — Bart De Wever, leader of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) party, met with Belgium’s King Philippe on Monday to review his progress in forming a new federal government, with their next meeting set for Thursday evening, according to a statement from the Royal Palace.
De Wever has been tasked by the King on July 10 to establish a coalition government. His efforts are focused on bringing together five key political parties: his own Flemish nationalist N-VA, the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V), the socialist Vooruit party, the French-speaking MR (Reformist Movement), and the centrist Les Engages.
De Wever’s mandate was initially extended until Aug. 19, following a report he presented to King Philippe in late July.
On Sunday evening, the leaders of potential coalition partners, along with their chief negotiators, gathered to discuss the latest version of De Wever’s policy agenda, which includes his future government’s proposed socio-economic reforms.
The formation of a government in Belgium is often a lengthy process, complicated by the nation’s economic, social, and administrative divisions across its three regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels-Capital, as the country is equally split into three linguistic communities: Dutch, French, and German, each with their own governments. Belgium holds the world record for the longest government formation period, having gone 541 days without one between 2010 and 2011.
The discussions are expected to continue in the coming days as De Wever seeks to finalize the coalition agreement. ■