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New Belgian government is sworn in

October 11, 2014

Belgium's new coalition government, forged after more than four months of tough negotiations between the parties, has been sworn in. Flemish parties, including the nationalist N-VA, dominate the line-up.

https://p.dw.com/p/1DTYP
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel (L) and King Philippe of Belgium (R) during the oath ceremony of the new federal government at the Brussels Palace in Brussels, Belgium, 11 October 2014. EPA/JULIEN WARNAND +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Warnand

Belgian King Philippe (R above) on Saturday swore in Belgium's new four-party coalition government, marking the end of a long process of coalition negotiations that was not without precedent in the country.

The center-right government unites three Flemish parties -- the Flemish liberal party, the Dutch-speaking Christian Democratic party and the nationalist party N-VA -- under French-speaking free-market liberal Charles Michel (L above) as prime minister.

Forging a coalition took four-and-a-half months of gruelling negotiations, a time span that pales in comparison with the one-and-a-half years needed to form a government under outgoing Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo - a world record. The traditional difficulty of the process derives mainly from tensions between the poorer French-speaking and wealthier Flemish-speaking parts of the country.

The 38-year-old Michel was made prime minister largely owing to N-VA leader Bart De Wever's refusal to take on the job.

The N-VA, which made the strongest showing of all the parties at May 25 elections, otherwise garnered several major portfolios, with Jan Jambon taking the interior ministry, Johan Van Overtvelt being made finance minister and Steven Vandeput taking charge of defense.

Didier Reynders from Michel's francophone liberal MR party will remain foreign minister, while Christian Democrat Kris Peeters becomes minister for economics and labor.

It is the first time in a quarter of a century that the socialist party has gone into opposition.

The government has announced plans to raise the age of retirement from 65 to 67 by 2030. It also intends to implement economic reforms to balance the country's budget by 2018.

tj/jm (AFP, dpa)