Leterme replaces Van Rompuy as Belgian Prime Minister
World
Leterme replaces Van Rompuy as Belgian Prime Minister
Herman Van Rompuy on Wednesday resigned as prime minister of Belgium, ahead of becoming the first president of the European Union. Van Rompuy was nominated by European leaders last Thursday night for the post of EU president. Belgium's King Albert nominated Flemish Christian Democrat Yves Leterme as Rompuy's replacement. It will be Leterme's second period of office as prime minister.The king accepted the resignation of Mr Van Rompuy from his functions as prime minister and, at his proposal, nominated Mr Yves Leterme as prime minister, the palace said in a statement. The transition comes just six days after European leaders chose Van Rompuy for the new EU job, a remarkably short period for politically complex Belgium and despite fears that Leterme's second term in office could be as unstable as his first. Leterme was the clear winner of the 2007 federal election, but struggled for nine months to form a government, which then lurched for another nine months from one crisis to another. He resigned last December over alleged political meddling in the break-up of Belgo-Dutch financial services group Fortis. He has since been absolved and has been Belgium's foreign minister since July. By contrast, Van Rompuy's 11 months in charge have seen no sign of the internal tensions that had prompted media speculation that the country might break apart.
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