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| Belgian PM offers his resignation | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme has tendered his government's resignation to the king after failing to carry out political reforms. | |
| Mr Leterme had set a 15 July deadline to push through measures to devolve more power to the regions. | Mr Leterme had set a 15 July deadline to push through measures to devolve more power to the regions. |
| He took office in March - after nine months of political deadlock - as the head of a coalition of Dutch and French-speaking parties. | He took office in March - after nine months of political deadlock - as the head of a coalition of Dutch and French-speaking parties. |
| King Albert II has yet to decide whether to accept the resignation. | |
| The government coalition includes Mr Leterme's Flemish Christian Democrats from the north as well as Socialists from the French-speaking region of Wallonia in the south. | |
| The prime minister was due to present a state reform deal in a speech to parliament on Tuesday. | The prime minister was due to present a state reform deal in a speech to parliament on Tuesday. |
| Before last June's general election, Mr Leterme had promised his supporters even more devolved powers for regional governments in a country that is already Europe's most decentralised state. | Before last June's general election, Mr Leterme had promised his supporters even more devolved powers for regional governments in a country that is already Europe's most decentralised state. |
| In French-speaking Wallonia - where unemployment is higher and the economy sluggish - there were fears this would leave their region worse off. | In French-speaking Wallonia - where unemployment is higher and the economy sluggish - there were fears this would leave their region worse off. |
| No single party bridges the linguistic and geographic gulf between Belgium's two regions. | No single party bridges the linguistic and geographic gulf between Belgium's two regions. |
| Traditionally, the prime minister comes from one of the majority Flemish parties. | Traditionally, the prime minister comes from one of the majority Flemish parties. |