Brussels - After a four-hour meeting with his prime minister, Belgian King Albert II rejected the resignation of the government of Yves Leterme early Tuesday, the Belgian news agency Belga reported. Albert met with Leterme and other members of his five-party coalition after Leterme had decided to submit his resignation.
The government of the Christian Democratic Leterme made the overture after failing to find common ground on a reform plan within a designated deadline. The contributing factor was the ongoing cultural differences between the Dutch-speaking Flemish people and the French-speaking Walloons.
The government, which includes Conservatives and Liberals of both language groups as well as Francophone socialists, has only been in power since earlier this year.
The head of the Francophone Conservatives, Joelle Milquet, earlier said she regretted Letermes' decision, and called for measures to avoid a governance crisis, according to a statement quoted by Belga.
