Election frontrunner wants to split up Belgium

[bub]

GHENT, Belgium — The frontrunner in Belgium's elections Sunday is running on perhaps the ultimate in divisive proposals: the breakup of the nation.

Despite its status as the home of the European Union, Belgium itself long has struggled with divisions between its 6 million Dutch-speakers and 4.5 million Francophones, but talk of a breakup was mostly limited to extremists.

Now, Bart De Wever of the centrist New Flemish Alliance is pressing for exactly that. What once seemed a preposterous fantasy of the political fringes has, in the mouth of a man seen as a possible prime minister, suddenly taken on an air of plausibility.

Nation & World | Election frontrunner wants to split up Belgium | Seattle Times Newspaper

According to all polls, the Flemish independentists are going to win these elections in a landslide - around 40% of the Flemish are going to vote for parties supporting the break up of Belgium.

Belgium used to be a centralized country until very recently. Its regions were given more and more autonomy, it became a federation 20 years ago, and it is likely to become a condeferacy very soon. The next step is, according to Bart De Wever, leader of the Flemish independentists, a total break up between Flanders and Wallonia.

A Flemish independence is unlikely in the short term, because countries like France would refuse it, and because we disagree about what to do with Brussels. But on the other hand, I don't know any other country where the main theme of the elections is the possible split up of the country, or where independentists are the main political party.

 

[Cold Highway]

It seems that a split might benefit both peoples.

 

[bub]

It seems that a split might benefit both peoples.

I agree with that. The economic difference is too important, it won't work as long as things like employment policies and everything that is related to economy is not separated.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

I agree with that. The economic difference is too important, it won't work as long as things like employment policies and everything that is related to economy is not separated.

The splitting of a country can be very difficult though

How does the debt get split, how do military resources get divided, who pays for what pension obligations in which country etc.