Van Rompuy Government
{{2007–2011 Belgian political crisis}}
The Van Rompuy Government was the federal government of Belgium from 30 December 2008 until 15 November 2009.[http://www.demorgen.be/dm/nl/5036/Wetstraat/article/detail/1033676/2009/11/25/Leterme-II-heeft-eed-afgelegd.dhtml Leterme II heeft eed afgelegd] De Morgen, 2009-11-25 Herman Van Rompuy was nominated as the first President of the European Council and resigned shortly after as Premier. It took office when the Flemish Christian Democrat Herman Van Rompuy (Christian Democratic and Flemish, CD&V) was sworn in as Prime Minister after the Leterme I Government fell on 22 December 2008.
On 18 December 2008, Yves Leterme offered his government's resignation to King Albert after a scandal erupted surrounding the investigation of the sale of the failing Fortis bank to BNP Paribas.[http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/19/belgium.government.resignation/index.html Belgium Prime Minister offers resignation over banking deal] Leterme, Jo Vandeurzen, and Didier Reynders were accused of violating the separation of powers by trying to influence the Court of Appeals and of exerting improper influence by the First Chairman of the Court of Cassation.{{cite news|title=Belgian PM's resignation accepted|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7796384.stm|publisher=BBC News|date=2008-12-22|access-date=2008-12-22}} Three days later the resignation was accepted by the king.
To be official, the Van Rompuy I government needed a vote of confidence from the Chamber of Representatives. It received the vote of confidence on 2 January 2009.[http://www.rtlinfo.be/rtl/news/article/207825/la-chambre-a-confiance/ La Chambre a confiance]
The government was succeeded on 24 November 2009 by the Leterme II Government.
Composition
The Van Rompuy I Government comprises 15 ministers and seven secretaries of state. Its initial composition is as follows:{{cite web|url=http://www.belgium.be/nl/nieuws/2008/news_vanrompuy_eerste_minister.jsp?referer=tcm:117-31374-64-a6|title=Herman Van Rompuy named Prime Minister|publisher=belgium.be|date=2008-12-30|access-date=2008-12-30|language=nl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615115007/http://www.belgium.be/nl/nieuws/2008/news_vanrompuy_eerste_minister.jsp?referer=tcm:117-31374-64-a6|archive-date=2011-06-15|url-status=dead}}
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!Minister !Name !Party |
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|Prime Minister |CD&V | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF7F2E;"| |
| Deputy Prime Minister - Finance and Institutional Reforms
|MR | style="width: 3px; background-color: #0066CC;"| |
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|Deputy Prime Minister - Social Affairs and Public Health |PS | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF8080;"| |
| Deputy Prime Minister - Budget
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|Deputy Prime Minister - Civil Service and Public Enterprise |CD&V | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF7F2E;"| |
| Deputy Prime Minister - Employment and Equal Opportunities
|CDH | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF4719;"| |
| style="background-color:#efefef"
|Justice |CD&V | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF7F2E;"| |
| Defence
|CD&V | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF7F2E;"| |
| style="background-color:#efefef"
|Pensions and Large Cities |PS | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF8080;"| |
| Climate and Energy
|PS | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF8080;"| |
| style="background-color:#efefef"
|Development Cooperation |MR | style="width: 3px; background-color: #0066CC;"| |
| SMEs, the Self-employed, Agriculture and Science Policy
|MR | style="width: 3px; background-color: #0066CC;"| |
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|Interior | style="width: 3px; background-color: #0087DC;"| |
| Enterprise and Simplification
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|Foreign Affairs |CD&V | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF7F2E;"| |
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!Secretary of State !Name !Party |
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|Mobility (Prime Minister) |CD&V | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF7F2E;"| |
| Coordination of the Fight against Fraud (Prime Minister)
|CD&V | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF7F2E;"| |
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|Finance (Finance) |MR | style="width: 3px; background-color: #0066CC;"| |
| Preparation of the European Presidency (Foreign Affairs)
|MR | style="width: 3px; background-color: #0066CC;"| |
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|Social Integration and the Fight against Poverty (Social Affairs and Public Health) |PS | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF8080;"| |
| Disabled Persons (Social Affairs and Public Health)
|PS | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF8080;"| |
| style="background-color:#efefef"
|Budget (Budget), Family Policy (Justice/Employment) and Asylum and Immigration (Prime Minister) |CDH | style="width: 3px; background-color: #FF4719;"| |
=Government reshuffle=
On 17 July 2009, as a consequence of the regional elections, the government was reshuffled:
- Karel De Gucht (VLD), who was appointed European Commissioner was succeeded by Yves Leterme (CD&V) as minister of Foreign Affairs
- Guido De Padt (VLD) was replaced as minister of the interior by Annemie Turtelboom (VLD); De Padt was appointed government commissioner for the internal audit of the federal government.
- Guy Vanhengel (VLD) entered the government as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Budget
- Melchior Wathelet jr. stayed on as state secretary for the budget but received the competences Asylum and immigration which were previously held by Minister Turtelboom.
- Marie Arena (PS) was replaced as minister of Pensions and Large Cities by Michel Daerden
- Julie Fernandez-Fernandez (PS) was replaced as state secretary for Disabled Persons by Jean-Marc Delizée (PS). Delizée in turn was replaced as state secretary for the Fight against Poverty by Philippe Courard (PS). Courard also received the competences of social integration from Arena.