Brussels, Feb 3 Belgium's new government was sworn in on Monday, ending months of a political deadlock over forming a stable coalition government.
Bart De Wever, leader of the Flemish nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) that won the federal election last June, took office as Prime Minister.
This marks the first time that a Flemish nationalist leads the federal government.
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Royal Palace at 9 am local time (0800 GMT), where De Wever and 14 ministers took the oath before King Philippe.
The new coalition, known as the 'Arizona' alliance, brings together five major parties: the N-VA, the Flemish Christian Democrats, the socialist Vooruit, the French-speaking Reformist Movement, and the centrist Les Engages.
A deal was finalised by the five parties late Friday after months of difficult negotiations over budget cuts, tax hikes and pension reforms, which aim to stabilize Belgium's public finances.
The Arizona coalition has also outlined priorities, including increased defence spending, healthcare reform and stricter asylum policies, Xinhua news agency reported.
Government formation in Belgium is often a lengthy process, complicated by the nation's economic, social and administrative divisions across its three regions: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels-Capital, as the country is equally split into three linguistic communities: Dutch, French and German, each with their own governments.
Belgium's King Philippe had invited Bart De Wever, President of the N-VA party to form the federal government in July 2024.
De Wever, while serving as preformateur, received the endorsement of four political parties ready to enter into coalition negotiations, including the Mouvement Reformateur (MR) and Les Engages on the French-speaking side, and the CD&V and Vooruit on the Dutch-speaking side.
Negotiations among the coalition parties covered diverse issues, including socio-economic recovery, investment in healthcare, boosting the purchasing power of low-income earners and activation of jobseekers.
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