Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced his resignation after being defeated in the European elections, according to Belgian media.
His announcement came after a significant loss of his party, Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open VLD), which won only 5.9 per cent of the vote.
Tomorrow I will resign as prime minister.
Despite the disappointing results, De Croo stated that the Liberals were “strong,” promising the comeback. Although De Croo will step down, he can retain his position on an interim basis until a new government is in place.
Belgium will continue to hold the presidency of the European Council until 30 June 2024. The presidency rotates every six months between member states.
On 8 December, De Croo stressed in a statement that in addition to the European continent, people in the Middle East faced a terrible war. He is also among the European leaders who have spoken out the most against Israel’s war in Gaza.
His visit to Israel and Palestine in November, along with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez, prompted the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to criticise the remarks they made about the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Belgium put a proposal to ban violent settlers in the West Bank from entering European territory on the agenda of the final summit of EU leaders this year. However, MPs did not reach a consensus on the issue.
