Belgium shifted to the right in Sunday’s election, but an expected extremist landslide didn’t happen.

The far-right separatist Vlaams Belang party, which had led the polls in recent months, grabbed 21 percent of Flemish votes Sunday — but failed to overtake its Flemish conservative rivals New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which became Belgium’s biggest party with around 25 percent of Flemish votes.

Belgium’s mainstream had been bracing for a far-right win in the north, with voters endorsing a plan to break up the country in just a few years and Vlaams Belang riding a wave of European far-right forces doing well across member countries in the June 6-9 EU election.

  • Skua@kbin.earth
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    5 months ago

    It’s quite a busy postage stamp

    But, uh, yeah, that’s Europe for you. The fact that the EU works at all is a stunning historical upset. Long may it continue