Belgian politics were once again hurled into chaos on Thursday (22 April) after the Flemish Liberal party (Open VLD) – a key member of the ruling coalition – decided to pull out of the five-month-old government. .

Prime Minister Yves Leterme subsequently tendered his resignation to the country’s head of state, King Albert II, around 1:30pm. “There was no other choice but for the government to resign,” finance minister Didier Reynders told reporters.

Open VLD quit the coalition saying it was frustrated by the government’s failure to solve the dispute between the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking communities in suburbs around Brussels.

The eventual outcome of the country’s latest bout of political paralysis remains in doubt, with talks between Mr Leterme, the king and various political factions currently ongoing. A compromise solution to restore the coalition, the emergence of a new prime minister, or national elections are all possibilities.

A palace statement said the king is “reserving his decision” on whether to accept Mr Leterme’s resignation.

The timing is also bad, with the developments placing a question mark over Belgium’s capacity to successfully carry out its term at the helm of the EU’s rotating six-month presidency, set to start on the 1 July.

“It is too early to draw any conclusions,” Jesús Carmona, deputy spokesperson of European Council President Herman Van Rompuy told EUobserver.