King Philippe of Belgium has tasked Bart De Wever, the leader of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA, Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie), with forming the new federal government, a month after the legislative elections held on June 9, where the N-VA emerged victorious.
“The King has appointed Bart De Wever as formateur to establish the next federal government,” the Royal Palace announced in an official statement released on Wednesday.
Political analysts predict that De Wever will work to build a coalition including the right-wing N-VA, the socialists of Vooruit, and the Christian Democrats (CD&V) from the Flemish side. On the Francophone side, the coalition is expected to involve the right-wing Reformist Movement (MR) and centrist party Les Engagés. The far-right is expected to remain out of any coalition.
The N-VA had secured a leading position in the legislative elections, which were held concurrently with the regional and European elections, winning 24 seats in the House of Representatives. They outpaced the far-right Flemish party Vlaams Belang and the MR, which each garnered 20 seats.