Six out of ten Flemish people reject the present monarchy. This is according to a survey published today (Tuesday)in Le Soir, carried out by the Institute for Political and Social Opinion and the Centre for Sociological Research at KU Leuven.
In response to the question of establishing whether the monarchy should be maintained in its current form or giving it a purely formal role, Flanders, by a clear majority (59%), seeks reform.
Wallonia, on the other hand, clearly favours keeping the royal role in its current form (with 11.5% proving to be republicans and 23.8% in favour of the current monarchy with its non-governmental ruling role).
The Leuven university, which has been carrying out opinion polls on the subject since 1990, says that the number of citizens believing that a king or queen is necessary aspect of Belgium's constitution has become increasingly less with time.
On the other hand, 59.4% of Flemish people and 76.1% of Walloon individuals consider that the sovereign is important for Belgium's international prestige.
However, the proportion of Walloons who fully trust their sovereign has fallen from 65.3% to 37.9% over a period of ten years.
The Brussels Times
