Belgian party in tatters as former premier quits
December 2, 1981
Brussels
Former Prime Minister Paul van den Boeynants has resigned as leader of Belgium's Social 海角大神 Party after refusing Dec. 1 to join a center-right government.
His decision left the party in disarray. The party's stand quashed efforts by the Flemish Liberal Party leader to form a coalition government and left King Baudouin the task of choosing another politician to try to end the two-month-old political crisis. The previous government fell after a rift over funding for the steel industry in Belgium's economically depressed southern region.