Belgium in crisis after Flemish force vote

By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium plunged into a constitutional crisis on Wednesday when French-speaking parties suspended marathon coalition talks after Flemish parties forced through a divisive parliamentary vote.

Four-party talks to form a new government, in progress for a record 150 days since June elections, appeared on the verge of collapse after the unprecedented unilateral vote to break up the greater Brussels electoral district.

The move would strip tens of thousands of French speakers of the right to vote for francophone parties.

A day of high drama revived media speculation about a possible break-up of the 177-year-old nation, seat of the European Union's main institutions, even though polls show most Belgians favor unity.

For French-speakers, who make up about 40 percent of the Belgian population, it marked the first time the Dutch-speaking majority had enforced its will, helped by extreme-right Flemish nationalist deputies.

"The talks are on hold," Didier Reynders, acting finance minister and head of the French-speaking Liberals, told a news conference after a meeting of all francophone parties.

"The Belgian pact is based on compromise. In Belgium, you negotiate on the basis of protecting minorities. A majority of six million against four, that's not Belgium any more."

Would-be prime minister Yves Leterme, the Flemish Christian Democrat leader, earlier made a last-ditch attempt to keep talks to form a centre-right Christian Democrat-Liberal government on track.

LINGUISTIC DIVIDE

The Flemish parties, fuelled by decades of resentment at subsidizing the poorer southern region of Wallonia, demanded that their francophone partners start to meet demands for a further decentralization of power.

If not, they would use their majority in parliament to start breaking up the electoral district around Brussels, a highly charged issue on both sides of Belgium's linguistic divide.

When the committee convened, francophone delegates stormed out as it became clear the Flemish intended to carry out their threat.

Cheers rang out and flashbulbs lit up beaming Flemish faces when the vote was passed.

"I'm delighted. We've worked for years to push this through," said Gerolf Annemans of the separatist, far-right Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest).

Political analysts had said such a move, effectively depriving more than 100,000 French-speaking Brussels suburbanites of the right to vote for francophone parties, would be a red rag to French-speakers.