Belgian Prime Minister resigns after country and EU elections

The Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, announced this Sunday (June 9, 2024) his resignation from office. The announcement comes after the release of the first results of the country’s and European Union’s parliamentary elections.

De Croo is expected to officially leave his post on Monday (June 10). His party, the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open VLD), was defeated by two right-wing parties: the New Flemish Alliance and Vlaams Belang. He will remain in office on an interim basis until the transition of power in the Belgian Parliament.

In another aftermath of the European election, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, announced the dissolution of the National Assembly and the call for new parliamentary elections in the country for June 30 (1st round) and July 7 (2nd round).

Macron’s party was defeated in the European Parliament elections by his right-wing rival, Marine Le Pen.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

The populations of the 27 member countries of the European Union began going to the polls on Thursday (June 6). Along with this came the expectation for the result of the new composition of the European Parliament and its groups.

Currently, the 705 MEPs – as European Union deputies are called – from more than 200 national parties are allocated to 7 different groups in the European Parliament according to their respective political thoughts.

Each country has at least 6 seats in the European Parliament. Voting methods vary. Some countries vote for political parties that select a fixed list of candidates for the electoral ballot, while others adopt more open lists, allowing voters to choose a party or nominate their preferred candidate.

Understand more about the European Union parliamentary elections here.