Belgian King Albert II to abdicate, reports say

PanARMENIAN.Net - The King of the Belgians, Albert II, is going to address the nation amid reports he is going to abdicate, according to BBC News.

Belgian state TV reported that the 79-year-old monarch would make an announcement on all of the major networks at 18:00 (16:00 GMT). His son, Crown Prince Philippe, 53, is next in line to the throne.

During Belgium's political deadlock in 2010-11, the king - who is due to mark 20 years on the throne next month - took on the role of mediator.

Media reports say he will announce his abdication to take effect on Belgium's national day on 21 July.

King Albert met the Belgian government's cabinet earlier on Wednesday, July 3 to inform them of his decision, Belgian state TV reported.

The palace said in a statement: "The core council of ministers has convened in the presence of the king. The king will speak to the people at 18:00 via a radio and television address."

Following the king's announcement, Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo will address the nation. King Albert was sworn in as the sixth king of the Belgians on August 9, 1993, following the death of his brother, King Baudouin at the age of 62.

After he succeeded his brother, King Albert became embroiled in a major royal scandal when he was alleged to be the father of an out-of-wedlock daughter, Delphine Boel, and suffered a major crisis in his marriage with Queen Paola.

That issue came to the fore again this spring when Ms Boel opened court proceedings to prove she was the king's daughter. There is some speculation in the media that may have influenced his decision to abdicate.

Like other European monarchies, the Belgian monarch has no executive powers and plays a largely ceremonial role.

One of the roles the Belgian monarch does have is trying to resolve constitutional crises.

King Albert exercised his authority in advising political leaders on the formation of a government during the 2010-2011 parliamentary stalemate, when Belgium was left without a government for 541 days after elections failed to find a clear winner.

Tensions between the two main language communities of Flemish and French sometimes run high, and the issue has brought down several governments, creating frequent political instability.

Respect for the royal family, though, is one of the few factors that crosses the communal divide. King Albert's abdication would come only three months after Queen Beatrix of the neighboring Netherlands vacated the Dutch throne in favor of her son Willem-Alexander.