In Belgium, where right-wing parties gained ground in a general election on Sunday, mainly at the expense of the left and the Greens, the prime minister of the Liberal Coalition went ahead and announced he was stepping down.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo has announced he will step down, citing his ruling coalition’s poor performance in “Super Sunday” elections, in which citizens elected a new parliament, regional representatives and new members of the European Parliament.
Although Belgium did not win a landslide victory, the rise of a small right-wing party and the sudden collapse of the country’s two largest Green parties were enough to significantly change the domestic electoral landscape, making the current coalition government of centrists and globalists untenable.
“It was a particularly tough night for us. We have lost. From tomorrow I am the outgoing prime minister. But the Liberals are [will be back]De Croo will remain in his role as caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed, which typically takes a very long time in Belgium and can take more than a year in past elections.
Early results show the conservative-nationalist, eurosceptic New Flemish Union (NVA) as Belgium’s largest party, closely followed by the right-wing populist, eurosceptic Vlaams Verand (VB). VB is expected to perform better than the polls predicted and may lose some momentum on election night, but Belgium’s Greens have still lost 11 of the 21 seats they held yesterday, leaving the eurosceptic party as the largest party in the country that hosts the European Union’s institutions.
While De Croo may not have been a household name in Europe outside his native Belgium, he has made waves at times, particularly with his interventions in American politics. As previously reported, he has been particularly known for his combative comments about former US President Trump, warning earlier this year that “if ‘America First’ returns in 2024, Europe will be more ‘alone’ than ever before.”
The Belgian Prime Minister could not resist getting involved when the US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in 2022. He said at the time: [the US Supreme Court] The Roe v. Wade decision and the message it sends to the world: banning abortion does not reduce abortions, it only increases unsafe abortions.
“Belgium, together with other countries, [Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights] wherever.”
