BRUSSELS: Belgium formed a new government on Wednesday, 16 months on from an inconclusive election, with caretaker finance minister Alexander De Croo named as the new prime minister.
After weeks of talks, seven parties spanning the French-Dutch language divide agreed to form a coalition to replace the caretaker administration of Sophie Wilmes, which was appointed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March.
Belgium has not had a fully fledged government since December 2018, when a four-party coalition collapsed. The two largest parties, the French-speaking Socialists and Flemish separatist N-VA, have struggled to overcome their differences, leaving the unwieldy, seven-party “Vivaldi” coalition across four political groups as the only viable option.
De Croo’s government will officially start work on Thursday when he and fellow ministers are sworn in by King Philippe.
“We…