Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced his resignation on Sunday night, in the wake of the results of the elections for the local parliament as well as the elections for the European Parliament.
In both cases, the right-wing and extreme right-wing parties achieved great success, defeating the liberal camp led by De Croo.
“For us it was a particularly difficult evening, we lost. From tomorrow, I will be a resigning Prime Minister,” told supporters at a rally, according to Politico.
De Croo will stay on as caretaker prime minister until a new government is in place.
“I am convinced that we need a new government quickly, with full powers,” he added. “The voter’s signal is clear.”
De Croo has been critical of Israel and its war against Hamas in Gaza. The Belgian Prime Minister caused an uproar in November, when he, along with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez held a press conference at the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, in which they criticized Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza.
In response, then-Foreign Minister Eli Cohen ordered that the Belgian and Spanish ambassadors to Israel be summoned for reprimands.
In December, De Croo announced that “extremist settlers” will be banned from entering Belgium.
Last month, he called for coordinated action within the European Union to impose trade sanctions on Israel, particularly targeting products originating from “Israeli settlements”.
De Croo’s resignation came shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved France's National Assembly and called a snap election in the wake of the results of the election for the European Parliament.
The elections in France will be held in two rounds on June 30 and July 7.