Belgian PM claims poll victory
Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt has claimed victory for his governing coalition of Liberals and Socialists in the country’s closely fought general election.

Although final results are only expected to be announced later on Sunday, partial results and nationwide projections showed that the Mr Verhofstadt’s coalition won a clear majority.

“This is a fantastic result. The government emerges stronger from these election results,” Mr Verhofstadt told cheering members of his Flemish Liberal party.

Earlier, Stefaan De Clerck of the Flemish Christian Democrats – Mr Verhofstadt’s main rivals – conceded defeat.

Mr Verhofstadt is hoping to win a second term in office after four years at the head of a six-party rainbow coalition.

But there are indications that the Greens – the junior partners in the coalition – have done badly.

Early results also showed that the far-right Flemish nationalists, the Vlaams Blok, has performed strongly.

Bargaining ahead

The coalition between Mr Verhofstadt’s free-market Liberals, the Socialists and the Greens has been fractious, but it has brought in a range of reforms in a once socially conservative country – legalising gay marriages and euthanasia and decriminalising cannabis.

If people who emigrate here don’t adapt to our systems, to our laws, to our values, they should go back to where they came from
Anke Vandermeersch
Vlaams Blok candidate

Mr Verhofstadt says Belgium’s economy has performed well in comparison with other European countries, but unemployment remains high.

Correspondents say there will be weeks of post-election bargaining before a new coalition is formed.

But one party will definitely not be coming to power – none of the mainstream groups will negotiate with the Vlaams Blok.

Yet the party, which campaigns on a law-and-order and anti-immigrant platform, gained 15% of the vote in Flanders last time and opinion polls are forecasting it will do even better now.

They have enlisted former beauty queen Anke Vandermeersch as a Senate candidate, but the BBC’s Shirin Wheeler says that, despite the pretty packaging, the Vlaams Blok’s message has not changed much.

Complexities

Nine major parties contested the polls and none of them has overwhelming support.

The country is divided between the more prosperous and populous Dutch-speaking Flanders region in the north, and French-speaking Wallonia, the former industrial heartland.

Most parties are similarly split on linguistic lines, and governments must represent both linguistic groups.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/3037343.stm

Published: 2003/05/18 20:13:48 GMT

© BBC MMIII

These thugs don’t care about politics. They just want to attack targets in the west to set off a new wave of terrorism. They don’t care wheter these targets are American, Belgian or Spanish.

And Steve, Belgium has never been a friend of “terrorism”. Just because we think we could have solved the problems differently, doesn’t mean we don’t have the same goals as the “coalition”.

Electric Six- Danger. High Voltage

According to Huntington (Clash of Civilisations) both countries should become close allies in this century. Both have a common enemy: India and Israel and one common friend : China.

If I could : South Africa or Australia. Maybe when I graduate and have the option to work abroad as a journalist.

Vortex, I said `different situation`. I do know this war is not about religion or some kind of belief (like was during WWII). I only said that for many Europeans the words `may god bless our country` sound very frightening.

And this trial in Belgium. Let me just say `this law was formed because otherwise the greens would have quit the gov`t during a very difficult time. So the socialists and liberals had no choise but to agree with it. After next elections, this law will be history, where it belongs. It`s not Belgium`s task to police the world, and neither should we pay for it.

May God bless our country = Gott mit uns. Different situation, same words.

I am against this war, most of all (and I know this will cause some reactions) because the world opinion was left out, because the US doesn`t did do an effort to try to understand other countries opinion, like France and Russia. Maybe France was wrong saying it will boycot any UN-resolution, but that is also the US`s fault. The Bush-administration did not leave any space open for opposition against this war. I`m sure Clinton, though he would also go ahead with this war, would be able to convince France, Germany and Russia.

And ofcourse, we in Europe are angry because the US is making war in the name of God. This is not true.

I do have to admit though, that so far, the US kept its promises, and it`s not making a new colony out of Iraq. I`m glad SH is gone, but this war could have happened with a UN-resolution if the US would be a bit more carefull.

And I hope the conservative party will win here, most of all for domestic reasons which I won`t tell you cause It would take me more than two days :D. But, though I appreciate Belgium`s position in this war, our gov`t has made huge diplomatic mistakes thinking it can change the world on its own. The problem is that we have two green parties in our gov`t, which I hope will not rule a second time. The conservatives want to increase the defence spending. I support them.