After more than 40 hours of debate, a majority of MPs in the Federal Parliament gave their backing to the coalition agreement that was reached last Friday by the 5 parties that make up the new federal government.
After what had been the longest debate in recent parliamentary history, the agreement received the backing of 81 of the 150 federal MPs. 66 voted against the federal government’s plans. Prime Minister Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist) and his team finally received the backing of parliament at around 2:30am on Friday. The debate on the coalition agreement got underway on Wednesday morning and had continued non-stop save a few coffee breaks ever since.
The Speaker of the Chamber of Representatives Peter De Roover (Flemish nationalist) said at the end of the marathon sitting that "It has taken a long time, this evening too, but now it is done”.
The 81 MPs from the Francophone liberals and centrists and the Flemish nationalists, socialists and Christian democrats voted for the new government.
66 MPs from the opposition parties (Francophone socialists and federalists, Flemish and Francophone greens, far-left PVDA, far-right Vlaams Belang and Flemish liberals voted against. The vote means that just over 8 months after the elections the new federal government can get down to work.