Monday, September 6, 2010

It's Not You, Belgium; It's Me, Belgium

Belgium might be breaking up with itself.. Excerpts:

One of Belgium's top politicians has warned the country's citizens to "get ready for the break-up of Belgium," as King Albert II seeks to relaunch knife-edge coalition talks.
And:
Albert II tasked late on Saturday the respective speakers of the French-speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders state parliaments to try once more to navigate seven-party talks aimed at securing some form of government, other than the existing day-to-day formation.
And:
Belgium, which holds the administrative chair of the European Union until the end of the year, adding a further layer to the pressure on the sovereign, has not been able to point to a stable government since June 2007.

This is the first I've heard regarding any political turmoil in Belgium. So, to recap.. The King thinks the country could break up, the previous seven weeks of seven party talks(so politically doomed..) were unsuccessful, the Belgian Parliaments form their government on a day to day basis(!!), and they haven't had a stable government in three years. Oh, yeah, and the whole Administrative Chair of the EU thing..

Will Belgium indeed split up? Will it remain peaceful, or will there be unrest during any "reorganization" of the country? If there is violence, just how violent will the situation become? Having no background whatsoever in Belgian politics, I don't know what the best outcome is, I only hope it is the one undertaken..

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