Brussels
A government! More than 18 months after the last election, Belgium’s political parties have agreed to form a government. Socialist Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, sworn in this week, is a bit of a controversial choice, not because he’s openly gay, but because he’s the first native French speaker to lead the nation in decades and has a poor command of Flemish, the main language of most Belgians. The country was run by a caretaker administration while the parties bickered over how to share power between French and Flemish communities. Pressure from financial markets forced a breakthrough after Belgium’s credit rating was downgraded last month.
Rome
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This hurts me as much as you: An Italian cabinet minister broke down in tears this week while announcing the severe cutbacks the new technocratic government is implementing. Welfare Minister Elsa Fornero said, “This really took a toll on us, psychologically. We’ve had to ask for a—”; she then broke down in tears, leaving Prime Minister Mario Monti to supply the word “sacrifice.” The package includes a rise in the retirement age, elimination of cost-of-living adjustments to pensions, deep cuts in payments to regional governments, and a slew of tax increases—all unpopular measures. But Fornero’s obvious distress at causing pain to Italians has elicited a surge in support for the new government, at least for now.
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