The great mess of 2008 claims another victim. From the Financial Times: Financial crisis fells Belgian government. First sentence:

The Belgian government on Monday night became the first national administration to fall as a direct result of events linked to the global financial crisis.

Prime Minister Yves Leterme's government coalition told King Albert ll it was resigning after accusations that his side tried to influence a court ruling against the dismantling of the Fortis financial services group. Leterme has denied any wrong doing.

"Everybody had said that he showed himself to be a true leader and a confident leader in dealing with the financial crisis," one commenter told Forbes. "He knew that and he tried to show people that he could manage a crisis. Maybe he tried too much, and tried to use too much influence, to prove it."


Leterme won the general election in the summer of 2007, then struggled to put together a coalition to actually govern. Now the king has asked former Premier Wilfried Martens to broker a deal for a new government.

categories: Europe's Financial Crisis

3:36 - December 23, 2008

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