Belgian king rejects PM De Wever's resignation and orders budget talks to resume

King keeps De Wever in office

Belgium avoided a government collapse on Friday, 6 November, when the Royal Palace announced that King Philippe had rejected the resignation of Prime Minister Bart De Wever. De Wever had offered to step down on Monday, 2 November, after talks inside the five-party coalition stalled over a planned budget that would cut 10 billion euros in spending. The king had taken the resignation under advisement and, in the days after, met the leaders of all five majority parties. The palace said the king asked De Wever to resume the budget negotiations immediately and to report back on Monday, 16 November. Telegraaf reported that accepting the resignation would have raised the prospect of early elections, a scenario the king's decision keeps off the table for now.

What the party leaders committed to

According to the palace, each of the five party leaders reaffirmed a determination to reach agreement on a solid budget path for the next three years. The king obtained a formal commitment that the parties are willing to make concessions to reach a deal inside the government. The palace also said the king stressed the need to balance preserving social cohesion with restoring economic growth. Each party chairman pledged to put the spirit of compromise and a sense of responsibility first. Telegraaf reported that the coalition could not agree on the savings package that the 2027 budget requires.

Why the deadline matters

VRT NWS reported that the 10-day deadline is shorter than last year, when De Wever asked for 50 days and ultimately needed 18. Political scientist Bart Maddens said the short deadline is needed to keep pressure on the coalition, because the provisional twelfths remove the natural deadline.

Because of the provisional twelfths, the natural deadline falls away.

Provisional twelfths, often called an emergency budget, let the government spend one twelfth of last year's outlays each month, which covers pensions and civil servant wages and avoids a shutdown like the one seen in the United States. This system is usually activated for three months, which in this case runs through March. De Wever called it an absolute failure that his government needs an emergency budget for a second year in a row, even though not quite a month earlier he had said he would not accept it. He has no other option, the articles note.

Open questions on the format

VRT NWS reported that the king is not proposing a new negotiating formula. One option raised was to involve the party chairs directly, an approach favoured by MR chairman Georges-Louis Bouchez, although several parties showed little appetite for it. VRT NWS asked whether the atmosphere at the table would improve if Bouchez and Vooruit's Conner Rousseau sat face to face, and concluded that De Wever himself must bring the MR and Vooruit closer together. 7sur7 reported that the atmosphere inside the Arizona coalition remains tense, with Maxime Prévot calling for a collective effort and rejecting the MR's reading of the crisis, which blames other parties for refusing new savings measures.