Belgian PM Bart De Wever To Meet King Again After Offering Resignation
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever is due to meet King Philippe again on Friday after offering his resignation following the collapse of budget negotiations.
The meeting is set for 10:30 am (0930 GMT), after the king postponed a decision on Monday over whether to accept De Wever’s resignation, who leads the Flemish nationalist N-VA party.
The political crisis centres on negotiations over Belgium’s 2027 budget and an austerity package aimed at saving roughly 10 billion euros (11.2 billion dollars) by 2029.
Pressure on De Wever’s centre-right coalition has been mounting, particularly over next year’s budget, with talks breaking down in the early hours of Monday after protracted negotiations.
King Philippe has held talks with the leaders of all five coalition parties this week, while De Wever remained in office.
Under Belgium’s constitutional system, the king can accept or reject a prime minister’s resignation or postpone a decision, giving coalition partners more time to reach a compromise.
