DE WEVER SUBMITS HIS RESIGNATION

BRUSSELS, NOVEMBER 2 /SRNA/ - Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever submitted his resignation to King Philippe on Monday after his five-party coalition failed to agree on the 2027 budget, but the monarch deferred a decision and announced consultations with coalition leaders.

The Royal Palace said on X that the king will hold consultations with the presidents of the majority parties tomorrow.

De Wever met the monarch at the Royal Palace in Brussels for more than 90 minutes amid tensions over efforts to address a 10 billion euros budget shortfall, according to public broadcaster VRT.

De Wever had ruled out entering the new year with a provisional budget, which would allow the government to continue operating under the previous year's spending framework.

Under Belgium's constitutional system, the king can decline to accept a prime minister's resignation or keep it under consideration to give coalition partners more time to reach an agreement.