KING CONSULTS BELGIAN PARTIES

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30761, 27 May 1965, Page 15

KING CONSULTS BELGIAN PARTIES

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright)

BRUSSELS, May 26.

King Baudouin consulted the presidents of Belgium’s three main political parties yesterday in an attempt to form a new coalition Government.

There was no indication of the progress of the talks, aimed at ending quickly the political crisis caused by the failure of the old social Christian-Socialist coalition to obtain in the General Election last Sunday the twothirds majority needed for proposed constitutional reforms.

The two partners of the retiring Government obtained 141 seats in the 212-member Chamber of Representatives

(Lower House), just one short of the required two-thirds majority. The Social Christian Prime Minister, Mr Theo Lefevre, handed the Government’s resignation to King Baudouin last night. The reforms proposed by the retiring Government provide for cultural and administrative autonomy for the Flemish-speaking north and west and the French-speak-ing south and east, as well as for the bilingual population of the Brussels area.

The party of Freedom and Progress, which emerged as the main victor of the elections and now holds 48 seats in the chamber, rays the proposals are too federalist and threaten the unity of the State-