Belgian King rejects Prime Minister's resignation, tasks him with resuming budget negotiations

Brussels -- The Belgian Royal Palace announced on Friday that King Philippe rejected Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s resignation and urged him to resume budget negotiations “immediately” in an effort to contain the political crisis threatening the cohesion of the ruling coalition. In a statement following the King’s meeting with the prime minister, the palace said that “leaders of the five parties in the coalition pledged to accelerate negotiations and make the necessary concessions to reach an agreement on a sound financial path for the next three years and to avoid a government crisis that could lead to new elections.” The statement added that the prime minister would submit a new report to the King on Monday, November 16, regarding the results of the negotiations and the progress made on this file. De Wever had submitted his resignation last Monday after months of stalled government negotiations over fiscal measures, including spending cuts and tax increases totaling 10 billion euros ($11.14 billion), aimed at stabilizing the country’s financial situation. (End) AR N / AM S