/s3/static.nrc.nl/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/web-1006bindecroo.jpg "De Croo resigns as Prime Minister of Belgium in accordance with normal procedures, as does the entire board of his party")
King Philippe of Belgium officially sacked Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Monday following Belgian elections held on Sunday. Belgian media wrote this on Monday. De Croo follows standard procedure: every prime minister in the government who completes his term asks the king to resign. For now, De Croo will remain a “caretaker” prime minister, a caretaker government with limited powers. He will hold this position until a successor is found.
The Flemish liberal party Open Vld, headed by De Croo, lost heavily in Sunday's national elections: it fell from 13% to 8.5% of the vote. Party president Tom Ongina resigned on Monday morning — as did the entire party board — and said there was a “very good chance” the party would take a seat in the opposition. The center-right New Flemish Alliance became the largest, followed by the far-right Vlaams Belang.
It is still unclear who will become Prime Minister of Belgium. Appointing a successor will not be an easy task. On the Flemish side, the N-VA is the largest party. Leader Bart de Wever is one contender, but in Brussels, the Liberal Movement and Groen are the big winners. The Revolutionary Movement Party also won in Wallonia and the Social Democrats came in second place. Traditionally, the new national government should reflect all of these findings.
