Belgium to have new government after world record 541 days
Belgium will wake up today with a new prime minister after a world record of 19 months without government but the incoming administration will not settle longer term questions over the future of the divided country.
Elio Di Rupo, a French-speaking Walloon Socialist will become the EU's first ever openly gay government leader after forming a fragile six party coalition government late on Monday night after 541 days of negotiations, which beat war-torn Iraq for the dubious world record.
His swearing in by King Albert II of Belgium today will create a 13 member Belgian cabinet bringing together Dutch-speaking Flemish and francophone Walloons form Socialist, Christian Democrat and Liberal parties.
But the new government has not bridged the gap between the 6.5 million Flemish in the north of the country and 4.5 Walloons in the south, meaning that doubts over the viability of both the government and Belgium itself will continue.
Mr di Rupo's government does not include Belgium's most popular party, the separatist New Flemish Alliance (NVA) which took the lion's share of the vote in Flanders during elections in June 2010. To add insult to injury Mr di Rupo does not even speak Dutch, the majority Belgian language.
Bart De Wever, the leader of the NVA, has dismissed the new coalition as "a minority government for Flanders" that is poised to implement a controversial austerity programme "that a majority of Flemish will have to pay for".
