By Xinhua
Brussels : Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt conceded defeat in new parliamentary elections after preliminary results showed his Flemish Liberals (Open VLD) was lagging behind the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V).
Verhofstadt told party supporters Sunday at the party headquarters the voters have clearly made their choice. He congratulated the centrist alliance of Flemish Christian Democrats and Flemish nationalists (CD&V/N-VA) for their success in the elections.
"I was the figurehead of the party for the elections. I take the responsibility for the result," the 54-year-old leader of the Liberals said.
Flemish television VRT's projections based on early tallies show that the Flemish Christian Democrats, led by Flemish regional leader Yves Leterme, led the race with 32.4 percent of the vote in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, up from to 25.8 percent in the national elections in 2003.
The Flemish Liberals suffered heavy losses, collecting only 18 percent of votes. The far-right Vlaams Belang, or Flemish Interest party, gained ground, obtaining 18.5 percent of the votes against 17.9 percent in 2003.
Belgium, with a population of 10.5 million, has regional rather than unified national political parties. Traditionally, the party winning the most votes in Flanders, where 60 percent of Belgians live, is the biggest party in parliament and has the first try at forging a coalition. Its leader is usually the candidate for the new prime minister.