Belgian federal election, 2010

Belgian federal election, 2010

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All 150 seats in the Chamber of Representatives 40 of 71 seats in the Senate respectively 76 and 36 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Bart De Wever Elio Di Rupo Didier Reynders Party N-VA PS MR Leader since 2004 1999 2004 Leader's seat Antwerp Mons Liège Last election * 20 seats, 10.86% 23 seats, 11.41% Seats before * 20 23 Seats won 27 26 18 Seat change * 6 5 Popular vote 1,135,617 894,543 605.617 Percentage 17.4% 13.70% 9.28% Swing * 2.85 2.85   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Marianne Thyssen Caroline Gennez Alexander De Croo Party CD&V sp.a Open Vld Leader since 2008 2007 2009 Leader's seat Oud-Heverlee Mechelen Brakel Last election 30 seats, 18.51% * 14 seats, 10.26% 18 seats, 11.83% Seats before 30* 14 18 Seats won 17 13 13 Seat change 13* 1 5 Popular vote 707,986 602.867 563.873 Percentage 10.85% 9.24% 8.64% Swing 7.66* 1.02 3.19
Colours denote the party receiving a plurality of votes per electoral canton * CD&V and N-VA were in a Cartel during the 2007 election; results shown for CD&V were for both parties during the 2007 election.
Federal Government before election Leterme II Government Elected Federal Government Di Rupo Government

Leterme II Government

Di Rupo Government

Elections for the Federal Parliament were held in Belgium on 13 June 2010. After the fall of the previous Leterme II Government over the withdrawal of Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open VLD) from the government the King dissolved the legislature and called new elections. The New Flemish Alliance, led by Bart De Wever, emerged as the plurality party with 27 seats, just one more than the francophone Socialist Party, led by Elio Di Rupo, which was the largest party in the Wallonia region and Brussels.

Following a continued lack of agreement over how to resolve the conflict over the electoral arrondissement of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, the liberal Open VLD left the government on 22 April 2010, continuing the 2007–2011 Belgian political crisis. Prime Minister Yves Leterme (Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams, CD&V) immediately offered his resignation to King Albert II, who accepted it on 26 April 2010. Following the elections held on 13 June, there were fears that coalition-building may take so long that Belgium's presidency of the Council of the European Union, which starts on 1 July 2010, might have to start under a caretaker government.