Belgian PM soundly defeated in polls

Belgium's political parties shifted into horse-trading mode yesterday to come up with a new coalition government after voters handed a stinging defeat to Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt.

After eight years in power, the prime minister handed his resignation to King Albert II, but will stay on as caretaker in the weeks -- perhaps months -- needed to form a government that can satisfy Belgium's main linguistic communities.

Flemish Christian Democrat (CDV) leader Yves Leterme was widely seen as most likely to emerge as the next prime minister after his party came out on top in the Flanders region in Sunday's legislative elections.

But he will have to convince the French-speaking community in the southern Wallonia region that he really has their interests at heart, after disparaging them for their general failure to master the Dutch language.

"A nice little demining job," was how La Libre Belgique, a French-language daily, described the task ahead for Leterme, whose campaign theme was "CDV in power = reform of the state," meaning more power to Flanders.

Although Leterme is perfectly bilingual thanks to a francophone father and Flemish mother, he has made little effort to bridge the linguistic divide that cuts through Belgian politics and life.

Leterme has stoked controversy in the past in Wallonia, economically poorer by comparison with the Flemish north, by saying that Belgium was an "accident of history" and that the country has no "intrinsic value."

But with most of the other big parties suffering setbacks in Sunday's poll, little was certain about who would be the Christian Democrats partners in the coalition needed to form a federal government.

Victory in Flanders is essential for success in national politics because 60 percent of Belgians live there and the next premier is all but guaranteed to come from the region.

With 30 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, the electoral success of Leterme's CDV will allow them to regain the dominance of Belgian politics they had held for most of the the post-war period.

Although the Christian Democrats are sure to play a central role in the new government, it was less certain what other parties will be included in the necessary coalition.

As always in Belgian politics, language will play a key role as the parties sit down to form a new coalition government.

A linguistic balance is essential.

The CDV's counterparts in Wallonia were expected to refuse to take part in any alliance which could harm their region's interests.

The Socialists, in both communities, were unlikely to play any role after losing nine seats in Flanders and five in Wallonia.

Far-right party Vlaams Belang, meanwhile, won 17 seats, down one from the last elections in 2003, but it will probably remain shunned by other parties and is almost certain to be left out of the coalition.

The center-left Flemish daily De Morgen said no government was likely to be formed any time soon.

Leterme will have to "bandage wounds and soothe damaged egos. It could take a long time. These promise to be difficult negotiations," the paper said.