"Hard Night" Belgian Prime Minister in Tears, Resigns After Election Defeat

Interim Prime Minister Until Successor Is Decided
Also Emphasizes "Coalition Government Must Be Formed Quickly"

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo expressed his intention to resign after suffering a crushing defeat in the Belgian general election and European Parliament election held on the so-called 'Super Sunday,' June 9 (local time).

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

According to The Guardian, DW, and other sources, De Croo said in Brussels that night, "It has been a difficult night," and tearfully stated, "I will take responsibility for this result. I will resign as Prime Minister tomorrow (June 10)." De Croo is scheduled to submit his resignation to the King of Belgium on June 10 and will serve as interim Prime Minister until a successor is appointed. He also emphasized that "a coalition government must be formed quickly."

De Croo, 48 years old this year, leads the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open VLD), which is expected to rank ninth in this general election held alongside the European Parliament election, making it impossible to form a coalition government. On the other hand, the right-wing nationalist party New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which is not part of the seven parties forming the coalition, is projected to maintain its position as the largest party with 17% of the vote. Amid the surge of far-right parties sweeping across Europe, Belgium’s far-right party Vlaams Belang (VB) secured around 14% of the vote, becoming the second-largest party.

Bart De Wever, leader of the N-VA, emphasized, "We won this election." Local media view him as a likely candidate to become the next Prime Minister of Belgium. The N-VA is a party that advocates for the independence of the Dutch-speaking northern Flemish region. However, the N-VA has clearly stated that it will not ally with the far-right VB party.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.