The Belgian king wrote to the Congolese president expressing regret for Belgium's brutal colonization. It was a surprising rupture with the royal tradition of silence on the country’s colonial history.
The palace has also tried to shrug off its reputation as a fortified building full of mysteries. Political meetings have been moved from the palace in Laeken in outer Brussels to the palace in the city center, where it’s easier to film handshakes and where citizens can catch a glimpse of the royals.
As in the United Kingdom, there’s a strong consensus in Belgium that the monarch should stay out of politics. But the prohibition does not apply when there’s no government. Whereas the British queen does not get involved in coalition building and only ceremoniously appoints the prime minister, the Belgian king has a key role in the forming of a new government.It’s at that time when his political power is at its height — and at the same time, at its most vulnerable.
So far, more than a year after the 2019 election, Philippe has yet to find a stable coalition — Prime Minister Wilmès heads an emergency government given provisional powers during the coronavirus crisis. But few blame him for the impasse.The reaction to Phillippe’s letter to the Congo highlights the challenge facing the monarch: What if Belgium’s needs are too big to solve?
The political impasse — one of the most complicated in the country’s complicated history — has revived questions about the future of Belgium. The country’s quarreling regions aren’t just linguistic rivals, they’re moving quickly apart politically.
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