BRUSSELS -- Belgian Budget Minister Sophie Wilmes has been chosen as the country's new caretaker prime minister -- a first for a woman, the current premier Charles Michel said on Saturday.
The 44-year-old still has to be sworn in by King Philippe, who is expected to announce the nomination formally on Sunday at the earliest.
Michel, who is set to take over as European Council president on December 1, had said on Friday he intended to step down by the beginning of November "at the latest."
Belgium has not had a fully functioning federal government since a coalition headed up by Michel collapsed in December 2018.
He has stayed on as caretaker premier ever since.
The political situation was further complicated by a very fragmented result of parliamentary elections in May.
"Congratulations Sophie Wilmes, who is being put forward to the King as caretaker prime minister," Michel said on Twitter.
Wilmes, who is seen as an ally of Michel's and was first elected to parliament in 2014, was chosen by a ministerial committee.
Belgium has a reputation for political crises. In 2010-2011 it was without a government for 541 days -- a record.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
BRUSSELS - The Belgian royal family on Saturday rapped Burger King over an online advertising campaign suggesting a new "king" for the European nation.
The offending advert, found on the whoistheking.be website in French and Dutch, asks users to pick between "King Philippe" on the left and "Burger King" on the right.
Those who choose Philippe -- represented by a cartoon image that doesn't seem to resemble the real monarch -- are then asked: "Are you sure you want to elect King Philippe? He won't be the one to cook your fries".
But the Belgian royal family was not amused.
"We disapprove of this approach," royal spokesman Pierre Emmanuel de Bauw told AFP, saying the monarchy had contacted the burger chain over the ad.
"The use of the King's image is subject to authorization," he said.
"In this particular case, we received no requests. Since it is for commercial purposes, we would not have given our authorization."
Burger King's majority shareholder the Bertrand group bought French fast-food rival Quick in 2015 and has steadily re-branded Quick outlets in France.
But the deal maintained the Quick brand in Belgium, Luxembourg and outside of Europe, which is now being partially phased out with Burger King set to open its first Belgian outlet in June in the northern port city of Antwerp.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
