Belgian PM claims election victory

Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt tonight claimed victory in the country's elections.

He said big election gains gave his coalition of liberals and socialists a mandate for four more years in office – but this time without the greens who were devastated in today’s polls.

Vote projections also showed the opposition anti-immigration Flemish Bloc would continue its string of electoral gains since the early 1980s, rising to historic highs in northern Flanders.

“This is a fantastic result,” Verhofstadt said, adding the coalition was ready to pursue his programme of economic reforms and tax cuts. “The government emerges stronger from these election results.”

The Greens, Verhofstadt’s junior partner in his coalition, were headed for an unprecedented defeat.

They were forecast to win only one seat in Dutch-speaking Flanders, down eight, and five in Wallonia, down six in Belgium’s francophone southern half.

The liberals and socialists were projected to about 90 of the 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives.

Projections showed Verhofstadt’s Dutch-speaking liberals were to win 24 seats in Flanders, up one.

The francophone liberals were to get 22 seats, up four.

The socialists were to win 23 seats each in Flanders and Wallonia, a total gain of 11.

“This is our largest victory in 15 years,” said Elio di Rupo, leader of the French-speaking socialists.

The elections were the second consecutive defeat for the Christian democrats that dominated Belgian politics for decades until they were ousted in the 1999 elections.

“We are moving toward a government with a Liberal-Socialist axis,” said Karel De Gucht, leader of Verhofstadt’s liberal party. The two “must become the backbone of the next government,” he added.

“I’m happy because the voters did their job,” said Steve Stevaert, leader of the socialists in Flanders.

The gains of the far-right Flemish Bloc consolidated the inroads the party has made in the past decade despite being cold-shouldered by mainstream politicians who view the party as racist.

The Flemish Bloc appeared out of nowhere in the 1980s with an anti-immigration programme and demands of independence for Flanders. It has scored better in every election since.

The defeat of the Green movement was remarkable.

The ecologists came to power in 1999 amid public discontent over a tainted food scandal.

Their gains helped to end decades of Christian democratic rule in this overwhelmingly Catholic nation of 10 million where political parties are split into linguistic camps.

“If you lose this badly, all questions of government participation are out of the question,” said Jos Geysels, head of the Dutch-speaking greens.