Belgian king refuses Bart De Wever’s resignation
Instead, the monarch asked the prime minister to restart budget negotiations with his fractious coalition partners.
Belgium's King Philippe has turned down Prime Minister Bart De Wever's resignation on Friday, instead requesting that De Wever resume budget negotiations immediately. The royal palace released an official statement confirming the king's decision. De Wever tendered his resignation earlier this week following a week of budget talks that had stalled.
Philippe has spoken with the five party leaders who comprise Belgium's coalition government and believes there is still a possibility for them to reach an agreement under a De Wever leadership. The king received assurances from all five leaders that their parties were willing to make concessions to resolve the budget deadlock. The government aims to close a €10 billion budget gap by 2029, but the parties are divided on how to fund it.
Socialist party Vooruit seeks to increase taxes on high earners, while the French-speaking Reformist Movement opposes this and also opposes value-added tax reform. De Wever, who had previously dismissed the idea of starting the new year with an emergency budget, confirmed on Wednesday that the government would resort to one-twelfth of the previous year's budget each month.
De Wever informed parliament that he would be submitting his resignation. He will meet with the king again in 10 days on November 16 to provide an update on the negotiations.
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