About: Belgian elections
Belgium’s first female prime minister officially named
Belgium's King Philippe officially named Budget Minister Sophie Wilmes interim prime minister on Sunday (27 October), making her the first woman to hold the post.
Belgian king names pointmen to help forge new government
King Philippe of Belgium on Thursday (30 May) tasked two politicians with exploring ways that a new government can be formed following elections in which a far-right party scored a surprise second place.
Belgium’s Charles Michel to stay on heading caretaker government
Belgian King Philippe accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Charles Michel on Friday (21 December) and requested his government stay on in a caretaker capacity for the coming months after his coalition split following an argument over migration.
Nine EU members stay away from UN migration pact
Three EU members voted against, five abstained and one didn’t vote during the formal ratification on Wednesday (19 December) in New York of the Global Compact on Migration.
Belgian PM announces resignation in crisis started by migrant row
Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel offered to resign on Tuesday (18 December) after opponents tabled a no confidence vote in a political crisis triggered by differences over immigration.
Belgian PM suggests Visegrad countries should be ousted from Schengen
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said on Friday (14 December) EU countries that show no solidarity in the management of migration open the debate about whether they have a place in the Schengen area.
Marrakesh UN forum adopts migration pact despite withdrawals
A United Nations conference adopted a migration pact in front of leaders and representatives from over 160 countries in Morocco on Monday (10 December), despite a string of withdrawals, including several EU countries, driven by anti-immigrant populism.
Belgian PM to go to Marrakesh migration forum ‘in personal capacity’
To avoid a major crisis in the coalition government, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel announced on Thursday (6 December) that he will go "in personal capacity" to the intergovernmental conference in Marrakesh, focused on the Global Compact on migration.
Belgian PM defends budget ahead of confidence vote
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on Sunday (16 October) defended his budget and vision for the future after tensions within the fractious coalition government nearly sank his programme earlier in the week.
Belgium mocked for its inability to hash out COP21 commitment
Belgium’s international image is deteriorating further as the country's regions - French-speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders - prove unable to agree on the distribution of monies coming from its national emission trading fund.
Belgium’s ‘kamikaze’ coalition strikes government deal
Charles Michel, a French-speaking liberal politician who is the son of a former EU commissioner, was on course on Tuesday to become Belgium's youngest prime minister after the future ruling coalition concluded marathon talks to settle the budget.
Belgium defies Juncker with Commissioner nomination
Belgium will defy Jean-Claude Juncker tomorrow (4 September) by nominating outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders as its next Commissioner, despite the European Commission President-elect’s wishes for a female candidate.
Belgium elections marred by anti-Semitic attack
Two women and a man were killed, and one person seriously, injured during a shooting at the Jewish Museum in central Brussels Saturday (24 May), with Belgian officials saying anti-Semitic motives could not be ruled out.
Flemish MEP row reveals tensions in Greens/EFA group
The Flemish Green party has accused the separatist N-VA of deviating too much from the political line of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament.
Van Rompuy says he will quit politics in 2014
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy announced on Belgian television yesterday (17 March) that his EU mandate, which expires on 1 December 2014, will mark the end of his political career.
Flemish separatists make big gains in Belgian local elections
A founding EU member, Belgium is struggling to maintain political unity as a separatist party scored major victories in municipal elections yesterday (14 October) and its leader is set to become mayor of the second city, raising the pressure on a fragmented national government.
Vassiliou: Immigrants must learn the language of their host country
Speaking in tribute to the European day of languages on Wednesday (26 September), Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said it was a time to “celebrate” multilingualism in all its forms, but that immigrants must learn the language of their “host” country.
Barely 1 in 5 EU expats eligible to vote in Belgian local elections
According to official figures revealed by the Belgian authorities, fewer than one in five of the EU countries’ expatriates living in Belgium have registered to vote in the local elections, to be held on 14 October.
Belgium emerges from historic political crisis
Elio Di Rupo, the chief negotiator in charge of forming a government in Belgium, announced a deal on the 2012 budget on Sunday (27 November), paving the way for a cabinet to be unveiled as early as this week.
Belgian politicians begin ‘battle of Brussels’
In the absence of a solution to reform the Belgian state and set up a new government, French-speaking politicians have apparently turned to plan B: laying the ground for a future "federation" grouping together Wallonia and Brussels. Flemish nationalists immediately denounced the "provocation".
Belgium political crisis sets new world record
289 days after general elections held in June last year, Belgium is still without a government and yesterday (29 March) replaced Iraq as the country to have experienced the longest period with no official government. The milestone was noted less in the country than abroad.
Belgium political crisis hits new low
A Belgian government mediator, tasked with building consensus between the country's different linguistic groups, stepped down yesterday (6 January), the Royal Palace said, increasing the chances of a new election.Is Belgium next?
As Belgium's political instability continues, the country's economic future looks increasingly precarious and whether it will be next to succumb to a debt crisis depends on which scenario the Belgians end up choosing, write Susanne Mundschenk and Raphael Cottin, executive director and research associate at Eurointelligence.