Resignation submitted to the king

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever submitted his resignation to King Philippe on Monday after failing to reach a budget agreement with his coalition partners. The resignation came after prolonged negotiations over the 2027 budget, which the coalition has been unable to finalize.

Coalition struggles with budget disagreements

De Wever’s coalition, composed of five center-right parties, has been unable to agree on how to balance the budget. The group includes parties from the center-left to the right, and they have not been able to agree on whether to cut spending, raise taxes, or both to achieve the necessary savings.

Emergency meeting fails to resolve issues

According to De Standaard, De Wever called an emergency meeting on November 1 to try to reach a deal with his government partners. However, the meeting ended without a resolution, as the coalition was still unable to find 10 billion euros in savings by 2029.

Two opposing views on tax burden

The newspaper reported that the coalition was divided into two camps over the issue of who should bear the financial burden. Socialists and Christian democrats wanted the wealthiest citizens to contribute more, while N-VA and the MR party opposed this, arguing it would harm their voters' interests.

King to decide on accepting resignation

De Wever submitted his resignation to King Philippe on November 2, but the monarch has not yet accepted it. The king is scheduled to meet with De Wever again on Friday, November 6, to discuss the situation. While the king primarily has a ceremonial role, he formally appoints and receives resignations from the Prime Minister.