Belgium’s King Philippe on Tuesday asked Egbert Lachaert, leader of the Flemish liberal party Open VLD, to try to form a coalition government.
The king had held talks with party leaders since an attempt to form a government by Bart De Wever of the Flemish nationalist N-VA and Paul Magnette of the French-speaking Socialists collapsed last week.
Lachaert will report back to the king on August 28.
Belgium has been without a fully functioning government for more than 600 days, since Charles Michel resigned as prime minister in December 2018.
On September 17, the minority government led by Sophie Wilmès will face a vote of confidence in parliament. Since March, Wilmès’ government has been granted special powers to manage the coronavirus crisis, which lawmakers accepted on the condition that Wilmès hold a confidence vote six months later.
If she wins the vote, Wilmès could theoretically remain in power until 2024. If she does not, she would have to resign, leading to a new period of uncertainty. Lawmakers may also decide to dissolve parliament, which would mean new elections.