In brief
Belgium's King Philippe rejected the resignation of Prime Minister Bart De Wever on November 6, 2026, demanding the latter continue his work on the federal budget. The decision was announced by the Royal Palace amid ongoing negotiations in Brussels. The move keeps the government in place while the budget talks continue to progress.
In Brussels on Friday, November 6, 2026, King Philippe announced that he would not accept the resignation of Prime Minister Bart De Wever, insisting that De Wever remain in office to continue negotiations over the federal budget.
The statement came from the Royal Palace, which noted that De Wever had formally submitted his resignation to the King. In a brief, unembellished announcement, the Palace said the monarch had chosen to reject that resignation, asking the Prime Minister to keep working on the budget agreement that has been a central issue for Brussels’ federal government.
According to the Palace’s communication, the decision came as the government was still in the midst of prolonged budget talks among the parties that make up Belgium’s coalitional cabinet. The Belgian constitution places the monarch in a caretaker role during times of political uncertainty, but the King’s intervention here signals that he considers the continuation of the government essential for the stability of the country's fiscal negotiations.
While the Europarliament and the Parliament’s finance committees are not quoted in the Palace’s statement, the announcement suggests that the King believes the Prime Minister still has the capacity—and the trust of his coalition partners—to negotiate the necessary fiscal measures. The pause on accepting the resignation maintains the status quo, allowing the negotiation process to proceed without the added uncertainty that new leadership could bring.
In short, the Belgian monarchy has chosen to keep the sitting government operational and to keep the budget talks active. The decision underscores the King’s role as a symbolic stabilizer during periods of political tension, and it keeps both the Prime Minister and the cabinet in place as they work toward an agreement that will shape Belgium’s fiscal policy for the upcoming year.
