Nine months ago, Yves Leterme, a divisive Flemish, Christian, Democrat was elected to the role of Prime Minister (PM) in Belgium. Next week, his administration actually steps in and takes up leadership of the country.
Since being elected last year, the PM has weathered a severe political deadlock and serious health issues.
Leterme is expected to be fully installed as PM during the Easter period, which will see this tumultuous period in the history of Belgium come to a close, however other dangers are lurking just around the corner for Leterme.
The new PM has been quoted as saying that it was only the King, the national football team, and bear that held the country’s Flemish majority and Francophone minority together in any sort of cohesion, and it is the job of Leterme to now pull these two factions together and create more positive bonds throughout the country.
Leterme is just now moving into the traditional HQ of the PM, a neoclassical office in Brussels, and right away must take steps to resolve the heightening tensions regarding further devolution.
It was these contentious issues which where the key to the embarrassing 192-day political standoff after the election in Belgium, during which time, with the post-poll stalemate lasting the longest in the country’s history, speculations were voiced over whether the country may even have split in two.
The campaign base for Leterme was in Flanders, which is a wealthy predominantly Dutch-speaking area, and his main campaign stratagem was a populist pledge which would bring more self-rule for both tax and employment policies throughout the provinces of the country, however this is shaping up to be a very difficult promise to deliver, and the pressure is on for him to offer, and have it accepted by officials, a new settlement on reform of the state, by July.
Belgium is known to be the most decentralised country in the European Union, with its federal government being purposefully fragmented. The current population of Belgium is 10.5 million.
Due to the decentralised nature of Belgium, the regions of the country are already largely self-sufficient, however a deal that was agreed to by the federal government last month will give provinces even more control over housing, agriculture, and industrial policy.
Whilst there are many in Flanders - the former campaign base of Leterme - who are voicing desires for more autonomy, there are groups of Francophones in the south - who were once economically dominant due to heavy industry, and who are now largely poorer and in need of Flemish support - who are loath to adjust the current situation.
The new five-part government is going to be tested a lot in these early months after the handover, and the current calls for constitutional amendments is just one of the tests before them.
The political ground for Leterme is still quite rocky, as he has been accused of being indecisive and has made made some regrettable comments about his Francophone constituents; though he is in the process of redeeming himself with this part of the population.
A fellow government official has made comments regarding Leterme’s ability to put his metaphorical foot in his mouth, saying that he isn’t a highly emotionally intelligent person and that his verbal faux pas’ aren’t in any way meant to be antagonistic towards the Francophone populace.
There are still those who believe strongly in Leterme, such as Frank Vandenbroucke, the socialist politician who worked with the new PM during the prior Flemish administration, saying that Leterme has always listened to all his advisers; wishing all groups to have a voice, before he makes any decisions.
The chances for Leterme to actually be PM looked rather slim for some time, as he failed to have a government ready to step in after he was elected in June, and his attempts to form that government were seriously hampered by arguments over constitutional reform and language rights. All of this was sorted finally in December when an agreement was reached.
Concerns were raised once again when Leterme was hospitalised for two weeks last month, at which time he was diagnosed with internal bleeding. Leterme is now back at work, and the 47 year old seems to have been humbled during this time.
He has stated that he is going to try to be more wise, calm, and equable, yet still just as enthusiastic and devoted to his responsibilities.
At a glance through Leterme’s records it is obvious that he is well qualified for his new role. Though he is Flemish, his father is Francophone and Leterme speaks perfect French. He has also worked in all levels of government in Belgium, from regional, to federal, to European Union.
The last PM, Guy Verhofstadt, was elected in 1999 and though he lost the election last July, he stayed to oversee a caretaker government until Leterme takes over later next week.
During the stalemate, Verhofstadt held together a three-month administration from December onwards to address urgent reform decisions.
Due to the decentralised nature of the country, most daily services weren’t affected by the political incident, however big-business was ham-stringed by the inability to pass imperative legislation and deep-seeded uncertainty of a unified Belgium in the future arose during this time.
Analysts, such as Marc Swyngedouw, of the Catholic University of Leuven’s social sciences faculty, have stated that to be successful, the new PM is going to have to gain the staunch support of both sides in Belgium. He believes that even with Leterme stepping in, the instability of the country is not at an end.
Tags: European Economy News, European Union News by Elisha Sanders
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