Conservatives win elections

Shortly after midnight, the official results of the first presidential and parliamentary elections of the Second Republic were published. With 60,32% of the votes, conservative candidate for the presidency Evert De Smet has been proclaimed as first President of the Second Republic, thereby replacing the Temporary Head of State and sole rival for the presidency Van Horenbeeck. Like Van Horenbeeck, De Smet had been active in the First Republic as well, being a former MP and president of the former conservative party.
It also seems likely that De Smet will be able to form a government without coalition partners, as the conservative SCU has received a narrow majority in Parliament (26/50). Although it isn't constitutionally mandated, it is always helpful for a government to have a parliamentary majority. Second to the SCU come the social-democrats with 27,78% of the vote (14 seats in Parliament), then the liberal VD (6) and the communist DEREV (4). The biggest personal score is on the name of Charly, leader of the social-democrats. One VD-candidate has already announced that he will not take up his seat in Parliament, in order to concentrate on his foreign priorities.