Belgian Pm Loses Vote After Two Terms

The prime minister of Belgium and one of Europe's longest-serving leaders, Guy Verhofstadt, was drummed out of office last night in a general election likely to produce a new coalition led by Christian Democrats.

Mr Verhofstadt, a liberal, was fighting for a third term after eight years in office, but his party slumped to third place while the Christian Democrats in Flanders, the northern and larger part of the country, emerged as the strongest party with more than 30% of the regional vote, according to early returns and projections. Weeks of horse-trading were inevitable as a result of the complex electoral and constitutional system. The chances were there would be no new governing coalition until after the summer break.

The Belgian political system is unusual in that there are effectively no national parties running to govern the country as a result of the country's divide into the larger Dutch-speaking region of Flanders and the southern Francophone area of Wallonia, as well as the fact that voting is compulsory in the country of more than 10 million.

In Flanders, the Christian Democrats won, with their leader and the region's prime minister, Yves Leterme, tipped to become national prime minister. Flanders usually puts up the prime minister. The hard-right, anti-immigrant and separatist Vlaams Belang or Flemish Interest party came second in Flanders, slightly increasing its vote, according to projections.

The mainstream parties have agreed to maintain a "cordon sanitaire" around the Flemish nationalists to keep them out of power. But Mr Leterme advanced his electoral prospects by bowing to the nationalist agenda, campaigning for a stricter separation between wealthy Flanders and poorer Wallonia.