Brussels was a city of sleepy journalists on Monday morning, with Sunday's election epic delivering excitement into the early hours of Monday (it was past 01:00 when The Brussels Times team left HQ for some shut-eye).
The world's media eye was focused largely on the EU, where votes didn't cleave to the far right as much as some had feared. But the far-right did succeed in taking massive gains in France, so much so that President Macron surprised everyone by calling a snap election at the end of this month. Opinion is divided as to whether this is a strategic masterstroke or a gross miscalculation that will hand power to the National Rally challengers.
But Belgium had its own political showdown, with the prevailing prediction being a landslide win for Vlaams Belang, the far-right Flemish separatists who were tipped to become the biggest party in Flanders. That didn't happen. Instead, Vlaams Belang gained eight seats in the Flemish parliament and the governing N-VA party (right-wing though less extreme) lost four. This puts both parties on 31 seats – not enough to partner and form a governing majority in Flanders.
This makes it less likely that the cordon sanitaire by which Belgium has kept the far-right out of governing coalitions will be broken.
However there was still a shift to the right on the national level, most notably with substantial gains by the francophone liberals MR, who overturned the hegemony of the Socialist Party, which for decades has been the largest party in Wallonia. Pronounced as a "punishment for the left" by party leader Georges-Louis Bouchez, MR was also the biggest party in Brussels.
He promises a raft of reforms that would prioritise business and the economy, though could undo policies such as the Good Move mobility plan in Brussels, which aims to make the capital more liveable by reducing through traffic and favouring active transport modes.
And whilst the eventual composition of a Federal Government is now a topic of primary conjecture, yesterday's results were a resounding rejection of De Croo's "Vivaldi" government. The PM's own Open Vld party haemorrhaged votes and De Croo was tearful as he acknowledged the losses on Sunday evening.
But the process of forming a government in Belgium is notoriously fraught and has historically taken numerous attempts by party leaders to pull together a coalition and assemble a cabinet. Last time it took almost 500 days to figure out a formation that satisfied all partners.
To understand the mechanics of this diplomatic puzzle, and how Belgium's King plays a central role, this piece will be an invaluable reference in the coming weeks and months.
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1. Now what? How Belgium's government formation works
Who are the key players, what are the different steps to get to a fully-formed government, and where does the King come in? The Brussels Times explains. Read more.
2. The Belgian elections' biggest winners... and losers
After an eventful triple-election day shook up Belgium's political landscape, some parties ended a long weekend on an (unexpected) high while others were left licking their wounds after a crushing defeat. Read more.
3. Post-Belgian Elections Live: De Wever expected at Palace, entire Open VLD board resigns
Good morning from Brussels again! As all votes have been counted after an eventful election day, the Belgian political landscape is in for quite the shake-up as the different party leaders will start trying to form the country's various governments. The Brussels Times brings you the latest updates. Read more.
4. Belgian Elections: Right-wing parties win big across Belgium
Read back for the election highlights as they happened on the day (Sunday 9 June). The latest updates appear highest on the page. Read more.
5. No Vlaams Belang-N-VA majority in Flemish Parliament
The N-VA and Vlaams Belang parties cannot form a majority in the Flemish Parliament. Read more.
6. Heavy rain and strong gusts of wind on Monday
Emergency services have activated the non-emergency number 1722 on Monday to respond to potential storm and flooding risks, according to a statement from the Belgian Home Affairs Ministry. Read more.
7. Over a million abstentions on Sunday, breaking the 2019 record
Belgium has seen a record number of electoral abstentions, with over 1.05 million voters (12.5% of the electorate) shunning the polls – a rise of 100,000 since 2019. Read more.
