QUENTIN GENARD
At 6PM on July 3rd, the King of the Belgians, Albert II, announced his will to abdicate on July 21st, 2013 (Belgian national day). This is not a complete surprise as the rumour was in the air since March but no bookmaker would have bet on today. However, and this is symptomatic of his reign, the date was carefully chosen: an agreement was reached Monday on the periodical review of the federal budget between the federal, the regional and the community levels, and we are several months before the 2014 federal elections which already promise much work to commentators of the Belgian heated political life.
The man’s destiny was firstly not linked with the royal duty. The then-Prince of Liège ascended the throne only after the accidental death of His Brother, King Baudouin. Once he took his function over, he experienced one of the most interesting times of Belgian’s short history with the transformation of the unitary Belgium into a federal state well known for its simplicity. Even if political powers of the King are limited, his influence should not be underestimated. He indeed fulfils the function of economic/diplomatic ambassador at the highest level and the role of honest broker in the Belgian institutional machinery. The latter is crucial in Belgian political life as he is “the one putting oil in the machinery” as one commentator stated today. He is responsible for nominating the person who will be in charge of forming a federal government. Knowing that during his 20 years-long reign nine different governments have sworn in and that the last federal elections left the country without a federal government for 541 days, one can easily imagine the importance of the task.
Two elements of tonight’s speech deserve some comments.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgPqBlTCwog]
The first element he mentioned was his age (79) and health condition (he suffers from a skin cancer) that do not allow him to fulfil his duty as he wish. These reasons are certainly legitimate as he is the oldest King Belgium has known so far. This is a symbol of the “professional consciousness” that the political elites recognised in him. Additionally, personal life of the King has recently been publicized in the magazines since Miss Delphine Boël sued the Royal family in order to make the King recognise her as his daughter, born out of wedlock. These recent events have certainly put even more pressure on the King’s shoulders who would legitimately seek for privacy in this affair.
The second element is the confidence he puts in his son, Philippe. This part of the discourse is the one most commented today. Indeed, Prince Philippe has the reputation of being gawky, uncomfortable with press and not having the same political sense as his father. However, during a recent economic mission in the US, many participants noticed change in the communication strategy of the Prince who was more comfortable and proved to have a fine sense of humour. This is not enough for some political parties, mainly of the Flemish-speaking part of the country, such as the extreme-right Vlaams Belang or the separatist party NV-A that clearly call for the establishment of a Republic. In case of NV-A their claim is based mainly on the symbolic function of the King who is often presented as an important element in assuring the “unity” of Belgium.
Overall, the population remained rather apathetic: very few persons (less than fifty) gathered in front of the Royal Palace (the question is: were they there because of the King’s resignation or the presence of TV camera?). The King will probably receive a more popular tribute on July 21st. Regarding the criticism on the alleged non-readiness of his son to succeed him, it is worth recalling that King Albert II was presented as a King of Transition in 1993, whereas now he is described as one of the finest King the Belgium has ever known. As stated by the famous Belgian’s common sense: the job makes the man* . There is therefore no reason to presume that this resignation will make the political life in Belgium more complicated.
* In French: “c’est la fonction qui fait l’homme”
Quentin Genard – CII Collaborator – Belgian, former student of the College of Europe (Department of European Political and Administrative studies) and the University of Liège (Master in European policies), mainly interested in the political life of its own country, the European Union and the trade in strategic items.
See also:
- A. Sęk, Belgia jest martwa, niech żyje Belgia!
- F. Deleżyński, Koniec belgijskiego impasu?
- B. Marcinkowska, Koniec jedności Belgii?
[…] stated in the previous article, Belgium national day takes place on July 21st, date of oath of the first King of the Belgian. This […]