Belgium stalemate hits record 149 days

[Marulus]

Belgium stalemate hits record 149 days

By RAF CASERT, Associated Press Writer

Tue Nov 6, 9:23 PM ET

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Belgium reached a record of 149 days without an acting government Tuesday, and slumped closer to a collapse of coalition talks between the country's French- and Dutch-speaking politicians.

The stalemate and the growing support of Flemish nationalist parties has sparked widespread talk of a possible breakup of the kingdom that is split into Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north and Francophone Wallonia in the south. Some opponents of separatism in and around Brussels have responded by flying the red-black-and-yellow Belgian tricolor from their homes, a rare public show of patriotism.

After five months of deadlock, Flemish parties are threatening to hold a parliamentary vote Wednesday on one of the central disputes of the crisis: the fate of Francophone voters who live just outside of Brussels, in areas that are in Flemish territory but have a significant French-speaking population.

Currently Francophone politicians are allowed to run in suburbs of the capital, but Belgium's constitutional court said that setup was illegal in 2003.

Flemish lawmakers have threatened to end the practice Wednesday. Francophone parties say they will respond by walking out of the coalition talks.

In addition to the voting rights, the current dispute centers on a drive by economically strong Flanders for more powers for the regions, in part to reduce the flow of Flemish tax revenues to poorer Wallonia.

The June 10 legislative elections gave a total of 81 seats to the Christian Democrats and Liberals, enough to form a governing center-right majority in the 150-seat lower house of parliament.

However both groups are split into Dutch- and French-speaking parties that have failed to forge a coalition government.

Linguistic strife was also the cause of the previous record of 148 days of political stalemate in 1988. Ever since the 1960s, Belgium has moved from a unitary state to a federal one where Flanders, Wallonia and bilingual Brussels have obtained increasing autonomy.

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