Belgium’s voters turn to right-wing party

Press, 20 November 1981, Page 12

Belgium’s voters turn to right-wing party

By

LIZ BARDER

in Brussels

The Belgian elections have ended with a marked swing to the Right, bringing to an end the 23-year-old supremacy held by the left-of-centre Christian Democrat Party. The Christian Democrats, the dominant partners in any ruling coalition since the war, formed the last Belgian Government with the Socialist Party. Political life in Belgium is complicated by the linguistic division in the country. Dutchspeaking Flanders in the north,

and French-speaking Wallonia in the south, are represented by matching linguistic factions in the main political parties. The three major political parties, the Christian Democrats, the Socialists and the Liberals, are not the only choices for the Belgian voter who can support more than 20 other parties, some representing hard-line Flemish or Walloon policies. Both regions are suffering severe economic problems since the onset of the world

recession, which has effectively spelt the end of Belgian consensus politics. No clear picture of the next governing coalition has emerged. The outgoing Prime Minister, Mr Mark Eyskens, has said that up to seven combinations of political parties could go to forming the next Government. King Baudouin will take the next formal step when he appoints an “informateur,” to test the ground for creating a coalition. The Christian Democrats have lost out to the right-wing Librerals who claim to see the solution of Belgium’s crisis in policies similar to the monetarism endorsed by President Regan and the British Prime Minister, Mrs Thatcher. Whether the Belgian electorate has voted for stringent economic policy, or for a new radicalism in the linguistic issue, is still not clear. The Christian Democrats, essentialy a Flemish party, uphold the ideal of a unified Belgian State. Their fall from favour is being seen as a sign of readiness by both Walloons and the Flemish to have greater control over their own financial affairs. The imbalance of wealth between the regions, with relatively well-off Flanders refusing to invest money in the declining industry of the south, is the biggest factor in the split

between the two regions. The Walloon Socialists, whose insistence on . State aid to their steel industry brought down the last Government, have maintained their dominant position in the southern part of the country. However, the Walloon middle-classes, who form a separate enclave in Brussels, have not supported the French-speaking parties, but rather the right-wing Lib-

erals. The Christian Democrats lost the ’ hard-line Flemish vote which went to the Volksunie Party and are threatening to abandon their moderate position to become a radical Flemish party. The Socialists, who want guarantees about the future of the steel industry before taking part in any coalition, are unlikely bed fellows for the suc-

cessful Liberals, whose priorities are strictly economic. A Socialist opposition, however, will mean Wallonia is seriously under-represented. The low number of spoilt ballot papers indicates that, above all, the Belgian electorate wants change and an end to the chronic instability of its post-war Governments. Copyright — London Observer Service.