Belgian king consults with political leaders after big win by Flemish separatists

Belgium party leader says squabbling must stop

BRUSSELS — The separatist New Flemish Alliance became Belgium’s biggest party after a general election and its leader warned Monday that the country’s endless political squabbling must stop.

Bart De Wever, the New Flemish Alliance leader, and other party leaders spoke with King Albert on Monday to figure out who should form the next government.

De Wever said the way forward for Belgium — which hosts major EU institutions and the NATO alliance — depended on the willingness of its four million French speakers to accept more self rule for Flanders and Wallonia, its Dutch and French-speaking regions.

“This country cannot afford months of political instability,” said De Wever, 39, adding that the new government must also curb runaway spending.

After the 2007 elections, the formation of a new government took more than six months due to linguistic disputes.

Despite his electoral win, prospects of Flanders, Belgium’s Dutch-speaking north, bolting from an unhappy union are iffy.

Only the far-right Flemish Interest Party supports that. Christian Democrats, Liberals and Socialists oppose it, but they also want more regional self rule and see De Wever’s election win as greatly improving that prospect.

On Sunday, voters gave Premier Yves Leterme’s outgoing coalition of Christian Democrats, Liberals and Socialists — all split into Dutch and French-speaking camps — a withering report card for three years of stalemate.

The New Flemish Alliance won 27 seats in the 150-seat legislature, the Socialists in Wallonia won 26 seats and the long-dominant Flemish Christian Democrats captured only 17 seats.

De Wever said he would give the premier’s job to a Francophone — most likely Elio di Rupo, leader of the Walloon Socialists — if that would ease resistance to more constitutional reform in Francophone Belgium.

“It is not my personal ambition to become premier,” he said. “If it is useful to create more confidence in reform in the Francophone part of this country … I’ll gladly offer the post to a Francophone politician.”

Flanders and Wallonia already have achieved self-rule in the past 30 years in urban development, environment, agriculture, employment, energy, culture, sports and other areas.

Flemish parties now want powers over justice, health and social security as well — but Walloon politicians fear that ending social security as a federal responsibility will mean the end of Belgium as a country.

Belgium’s 6.5 million Dutch-speakers and 4 million Francophones live separate lives. Just about everything here — from political parties to broadcasters to boy scouts and voting ballots — comes in Dutch- and French-speaking versions.

During the campaign, De Wever said he favors an orderly breakup of Belgium, accusing Wallonia, Belgium’s poorer southern half, of bad governance.

Flanders has half the unemployment of Wallonia and a 25 percent higher per-capita income, and its politicians are tired of subsidizing their Francophone neighbors.

Yet Laurette Onckelinx, a leading Francophone Socialist, said Monday her party will continue to defend Francophone rights.