Belgian PM announces resignation after 'difficult evening'

Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has announced his resignation after disappointing federal and regional election results.

"This is a very difficult evening for us. We have lost this election," De Croo told supporters, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

His Flemish liberal party, Open VLD, is projected to lose almost half its seats in the Chamber of Representatives.

Sunday's vote in the linguistically divided country, which is split between Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north and French-speaking Wallonia in the south, was held on the same day as the European Parliament elections. 

Vlaams Belang remains excluded

The right-wing nationalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) is projected to finish in first place with 17% of the vote, with the far-right Vlaams Belang securing 14% of the vote.

"Our obituaries were written, but we won these elections," said N-VA leader Bart De Wever, who now looks a good bet to become Belgium's next prime minister.

The N-VA and Vlaams Belang are also expected to finish in first and second place in the Flemish parliament.

Parties in Flanders, including the N-VA, have a long-standing agreement to keep the far right out of government in the region.

De Wever, who wants to be the next prime minister, has repeatedly insisted that he will not make a deal with Vlaams Belang this time either.

Long coalition talks

The centre-right Reformists Movement (MR) displaced the dominant Socialist Party as the first party in French-speaking Wallonia.

Over the next few months, negotiations will aim to create a coalition government between the Dutch-speaking region's predominantly right-wing parties and the French-speaking south's more left-leaning parties. 

De Croo will hand in his resignation to Belgium's King Philippe on Monday at the royal palace in Brussels. 

He is however set to remain acting prime minister for months while the coalition talks continues.