Sophie Wilmés has been appointed as the head of Belgium’s next caretaker government, making her the first woman to be Prime Minister of the country.
She replaces Charles Michel, under whose caretaker government she served as Budget Minister. Michel stepped aside to prepare for his new role as President of the European Council, which he is set to resume on the 1st of December.
Ungovernable Belgium
Since December 2018, Belgium has been led by a caretaker government after the coalition government of Prime Minister Michel collapsed. The May 26, 2019, parliamentary election proved ineffective in resolving the deadlock and only reinforced the political divide in the country.
The northern Flemish region of Flander handed victory to the right-wing nationalist parties – New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) and Vlaams Belang. In the southern Francophone Wallon region, the Socialists and the Greens triumphed.
Belgium also made history after it took 541 days to negotiate a coalition government after the 2010 parliamentary elections.
Prime Minister Wilmés’ new role has been described as a poisoned chalice. Her job is complicated by the deep divisions in the two regions, divisions which have the stalled the formation of a government. She is also a member of the Francophone Liberal party whose popularity dropped in the 2019 election to fourth place in parliament, hence she has no parliamentary majority to guarantee stability in the role.
Wilmés, 44, is no stranger to language politics, having served as Councillor in Rhode Saint-Genese, a Flemish commune with a large Francophone population which has experienced disputes over language rights.
The new leader says she will do her best to guarantee stability and continuity in the current affairs and urged the formation of a full-fledged government as soon as possible. Her caretaker role means that there will be no new policy initiatives.
Wilmés’ appointment makes her the fourth female leader in the European Council, her longevity in this position will be determined by how long it will take the parties in Belgium to put their difference aside.
