Belgium is poised to break a record on Tuesday for its longest period without a new government as its politicians struggle to form a ruling coalition nearly five months after a general election. Unless Belgium's squabbling parties agree a coalition before then, Tuesday marks the 149th day the linguistically divided country has gone without a new government since the 10 June election, one more day than the previous record from 1988.
| Doesn't seem to have hurt them any. |
The major parties' failure so far to hammer out a coalition has fuelled speculation that the country could split along the linguistic faultline of its richer Dutch speaking half and the poorer French speaking half. As the crisis grinds on, a broad state of concern about the country's future has begun to emerge among the general public, which often struggles to keep up with the ins and outs of Belgium's complex politics.
The country's largely French-speaking capital is increasingly bedecked with Belgian flags hung from windows and balconies by individuals concerned about the political morass gripping their country.
"The year 2007 will either be the beginning of the end of this country or the beginning of a new era when we decide to defend what unites rather than what separate us," said internationally renowned Flemish choreographer Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker. |