Belgium's king rejects prime minister's resignation, tells coalition to resume budget talks

Belgium’s King Philippe on Friday rejected the resignation of Prime Minister Bart De Wever and sent him and the governing coalition back to work on a long-running crisis over the country’s budget.

De Wever had handed in his resignation on Monday after budget talks broke down. But the king, who oversees the formation of national governments, said he was “withholding his decision” on whether to approve.

The king consulted coalition party leaders throughout the week. “All of them reaffirmed their determination to reach an agreement on a sound budgetary path for the next three years,” the Royal Palace said in a statement.

The leaders agreed to act responsibly in a spirit of compromise, it said.

“Based on these discussions, the King decided to reject the prime minister’s resignation and asked him to resume budget negotiations immediately,” the statement said. De Wever will report back to the King on Nov. 16.