Belgium's King Philippe Blocks De Wever's Exit, Orders Budget Talks Back On

Belgium's King Philippe turned down Prime Minister Bart De Wever's resignation on Friday, the Royal Palace announced. De Wever had arrived at the palace in Brussels to hand in his notice after budget negotiations blew up. The king refused it and told him to get straight back to the table.

Philippe didn't just say no. He met the heads of the five parties propping up the coalition and walked away with a formal commitment from all of them that they are ready to make concessions to seal a deal, according to the palace. The king also pressed the point that any agreement needs a fair balance between protecting social cohesion and boosting economic growth.

At the heart of the standoff is Belgium's deficit. The coalition mashes together right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties, and they can't agree on how to shrink it. Conservatives want spending cuts. Socialists want high earners to pay more. That clash is what pushed De Wever to the palace door in the first place.

The stakes are steep. If Philippe had accepted the resignation, Belgium could have been staring down early elections. Instead, the king used his role to force the coalition back into budget talks immediately, keeping a fragile five-party government alive for now.

De Wever, leader of the New Flemish Alliance, only took the top job in February after marathon coalition negotiations. His government holds 81 of the 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives, a majority thin enough that every party in it has real leverage.

So Belgium gets a stay of execution, not a solution. The budget fight is still sitting there, and the five parties now have to prove the concessions they promised the king are real.