Wilmès Sophie confirmed the resignation of the government while the King has charged the Prime Minister with the continuation of the expedition of the current affairs, specified the Palace.

Sophie Wilmès, 44, now replaces Charles Michel to allow him to assume his new role as President of the European Council. This is the first time that a woman heads the federal government.

After the appointment of Mrs. Wilmès, David Clarinval (RM) was sworn in as Minister of the Budget and Public Service, in charge of the National Lottery and Science Policy, the skills that the new Prime Minister held so far.

 

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Merci à celles et ceux qui m’ont témoigné leur enthousiasme et leur soutien pour cette nouvelle fonction. Le chemin ne sera certainement pas simple mais ma volonté de travailler au bénéfice de tous reste intacte. 🇧🇪🇪🇺 #begov #Belgique #premierministre Bedankt aan iedereen die me enthousiast veel steun heeft toegezegd voor deze nieuwe functie. Het zal zeker niet eenvoudig zijn maar ik ga volop aan de slag in het belang van alle burgers. 🇧🇪🇪🇺 #begov #Belgie #premier

Un post condiviso da Sophie Wilmès (@sophiewilmes) in data: 27 Ott 2019 alle ore 2:32 PDT

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At 9.30 a.m. on Monday, five activists were arrested after they entered the gardens of the Royal Palace. The five protesters, members of the environmentalist action group Extinction Rebellion, claimed that they wanted to deliver a letter to King Philippe, to ask him to decree the climate emergency in Belgium. As the movement stated: “This open letter is a direct appeal to the King to invite him and all Belgian citizens to join Extinction Rebellion on Saturday 12th October at 2 p.m. in the same place, the garden of the Royal Palace of Brussels (…), so that he can leave his reserve and declare a symbolic state of climatic emergency.”

After entering the gardens of the Palace, bypassing the gate, they were quickly intercepted by some police officers. However, The activists were subsequently lined up along the inside of the gates of the Royal Palace and Garden, at which point one of the activists read aloud the group’s letter addressed to King Philippe.

According to Extinction Rebellion, a police officer retrieved the letter and handed it over to the King.

Here an extract from the letter:

Your Majesty, your kingdom is burning. We are all in an unprecedented crisis situation, both in
terms of scale and severity. We address You directly to ask for help. Every day that
passes sees the means at our disposal to remedy the crisis diminish. (…) In these exceptionally grave circumstances, we recognize the need for extraordinary measures to protect our lives, those of our (as well as Your) children, and the ecosystem on which we all depend. We therefore respectfully ask His Majesty to leave his constitutional reserve to make the official declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency in Belgium. This is clearly a symbolic declaration. However, coming from His Majesty, this is a strong gesture that can significantly contribute to the most urgent implementation of a real crisis plan that mobilizes all available resources to deal with the climate and ecological disaster unfolding before our eyes.

Extinction Rebellion has organized a peaceful occupation in the garden of the Royal Palace on 12 October.

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The decision of the Royal Palace to receive the President of Vlaams Belang, Tom Van Grieken, this Wednesday morning is “far-reaching”, according to several constitutional experts. On the one hand, King Philippe will now avoid accusations of victimisation and rejection by the far-right party. On the other hand, he is arguably legitimising the leader of an openly xenophobic and homophobic party.

The last official meeting between a Belgian King and the leader of a far right party was in 1936, when Leopold III invited Leon Degrelle, head of the Rex party, to the Royal Palace. In 1978, King Baudouin also invited Karel Dillen, president of Vlaams Blok (the precursor to Vlaams Belang), but the latter declined the invitation because of his party’s aversion to the monarchy.

Political reactions

Neither the PS nor Ecolo offered an immediate reaction to the King’s decision. “The King has made his own decision,” commented Green Co-President Zakia Khattabi. “I have an opinion but I will not give it to you,” said Paul Magnette (PS).

A more impassioned reaction came from the president of the Brussels Federation of the SP, Laurette Onkelinx, who has begun negotiations to form a regional government. In her opinion, nothing required the King to receive Mr Van Grieken. “It shocks me deeply. Why does the King think he is obliged to meet with Vlaams Belang when there is a clear rejection among the Flemish parties, outside the N-VA, of breaking the cordon sanitaire [the agreement whereby mainstream Belgian parties refuge to collaborate with extremist groups]?” Ms Onkelinx said to RTBF.

Prime Minister and President of the MR, Charles Michel, argued to the contrary that “the King is just doing his job” of conducting post-electoral consultations. “There is a constitutional procedure … it is up to the King to conduct consultations,” he said, before adding: “Right now, we need calm to allow the country to be governed. »

The CDH is also not contesting the King’s initiative. “Just the idea of seeing Vlaams Belang arrive at the Palace scares the hell out of me, but given the democratic result in Flanders, no one will hold it against the King to receive Mr Van Grieken,” said Maxime Prévot, President of the Humanist Democrats.

The President of the PTB, Peter Mertens, also refrained from commenting on the King’s choice. “It is not for me to define the King’s agenda,” he explained, before going on to insist upon on his party’s commitment to fight fascism in all its forms.

Reaction among activists

The reaction to the King’s decision was considerably more virulent among activist groups. Stand Up, the group behind the anti-fascist demonstration that gathered several thousand people on Monday, did not hide its disappointment. “The King is the first to break the cordon sanitaire against the extreme right and fascism the day after the great demonstration which gathered 7,000 people! The fight will be a long one, but we won’t give up, » the group warned on its Facebook page.

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Her Majesty the Queen visits the exhibition « Macht en Schoonheid » on November 8.

From Arenbergs « (Power and Beauty – The Arenbergs) to the M Museum in Leuven. The exhibition is part of the ‘Festival Vijf Eeuwen Arenberg’ and presents masterpieces from the Arenberg family from collections around the world.

Gala concert of the Royal Music Guides

Their Majesties the King and the Queen will present a gala concert at the Palais Royal in Brussels on November 9 as part of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Their Royal Highnesses Princess Astrid and Prince Laurent will also attend the concert.

This concert of the Royal Music Guides commemorates this pivotal moment in European and world history and pays tribute to all the victims. The guests at the concert are mainly people who contributed, in this year of commemoration, to the reflections on « war, peace and memory ». The program offers compositions in connection with this theme of renowned Belgian and foreign composers.

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