Belgium is now primarily a far-right oriented nation after N-VA party leader Bart de Wever sworn-in as PM. Credit: @beaudonnet, X.
Conservative Bart de Wever has just been sworn-in as Belgium’s new PM, and today’s events, February 3, mark the start of a new coalition here that will see the political landscape swayed to the right amid European fears of a worrying dawn on the horizon.
Seven months of arduous and complex negotiations resulted in an agreement finally reached that will mean de Wever is the first ever nationalist from the Flanders region to be named leader of Belgium.
Speaking to reporters amid today’s events, de Wever has made it clear he will clamp down on immigration, and bolster Belgium’s defence spending in order to meet NATO’s 2% target.
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Is Belgium contributing to far-right leadership in Europe?
The decision to make de Wever prime minister of Belgium signals the beginning of a possible far-right revolution in Europe, as the new leader joins multiple countries such as Italy and Austria, as a nationalistic twist on European politics ensues.
Speaking to reporters today, de Wever said: “Europe has been a bit lazy on the topic of defence,” insisting that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has “woken us up.”
Donald Trump has only added to the chaos Europe is facing with his latest tariff threats aiming to stem the economic growth of the continent and many member states, as de Wever maintains the urgent need for Europe to rectify its relations with the US.
Which parties will make up the new Belgian coalition?
De Wever’s N-VA clinched the most seats in the Belgian election, with a brand new coalition formed in collaboration with two other Dutch-speaking Flanders parties, Christian Democrats, and Vooruit, who are centrist and left-wing parties respectively.
De Wever’s bloc stands as part of a far-right movement, named ECR Group, who aim to shake things up in the European parliament and change public perspective. The group also includes lawmakers from Czech PM Petr Fiala’s party, as well as Giorgia Meloni, Italian leader, and her compatriots.
Far-right groups, commonly maintaining a strong anti-immigration sentiment, are doing increasingly well in European parliament elections, with 2024 being a particularly promising year for nationalist parties. They even topped polls in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands on both a regional and national level.
De Wever takes over from former PM Alexander de Croo, whose seven-party coalition took an arduous 493 days to form back in 2019, with de Croo having stayed in power in caretaker form after June’s elections last year.