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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared Green blunder hands U.S. draw with England 12 Jun 2010 Heat on BP to improve oil spill response | Video 3:10am EDT No damage reported from Japanese quake 1:29am EDT Tsunami alerts canceled after strong Indian Ocean quake 12 Jun 2010 Green blunder hands U.S. draw with England 2:33am EDT Obama takes aim at Republicans on healthcare 1:05am EDT Sorry Barack, I'm watching World Cup, says Biden 11 Jun 2010 Obama takes aim at Republicans again on healthcare 12 Jun 2010 Report slams Pakistan for meddling in Afghanistan 12 Jun 2010 Sailor Abby Sunderland found safe in Indian Ocean 11 Jun 2010 Iceland passes gay marriage law in unanimous vote 11 Jun 2010 Heat on BP to improve oil spill response | Video 3:10am EDT Report slams Pakistan for meddling in Afghanistan 12 Jun 2010 Green blunder hands U.S. draw with England 12 Jun 2010 Tsunami alerts canceled after strong Indian Ocean quake 12 Jun 2010 Obama takes aim at Republicans again on healthcare 12 Jun 2010 Costly nuclear fusion demo worries cash-strapped EU 09 Jun 2010 U.S. reverses stance on treaty to regulate arms trade 14 Oct 2009 Latin America rejects old U.S. approach in drugs war 29 Jan 2010 Violent videogames harmless for most kids 09 Jun 2010 Belgians vote after debate on splitting country Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS Sun Jun 13, 2010 3:23am EDT Related News FACTBOX-Electoral process for Slovakia's June 12 vote Thu, Jun 10 2010 Dutch government talks start after narrow win Thu, Jun 10 2010 UPDATE 5-Dutch govt talks start after Liberals' narrow win Thu, Jun 10 2010 Analysis: New Dutch government will be short-lived Thu, Jun 10 2010 Snap analysis: Election puts Dutch politics in flux Thu, Jun 10 2010 BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgians voted in a parliamentary election on Sunday for a government that could move toward breaking up the country and that will need to curb the third-highest debt ratio in Europe. World The Flemish separatist N-VA (New Flemish Alliance), which advocates the gradual dissolution of Belgium, is forecast to be the largest party in Dutch-speaking Flanders and possibly the country. "The ballot box question is not whether but by how much the N-VA will win," said Dutch-language newspaper De Morgen. Voting runs until 3 p.m. (1300 GMT), with the first results expected within about an hour and a clear picture developing from early evening. N-VA leader Bart De Wever may be victorious, but he will not be able to start devolving powers to the regions immediately. The electoral system -- effectively two elections with separate parties seeking votes from French-speakers and the majority Dutch-speakers -- means at least four parties will be needed to form a governing coalition. De Wever has said he is open to a French-speaker -- most likely socialist leader Elio Di Rupo -- becoming prime minister for the first time in 36 years if that would deliver greater autonomy for Flanders. This is the first federal election from which a party advocating the end of Belgium could emerge the winner, although the N-VA were allies of the Christian Democrats in 2007. The party's lead in opinion polls has triggered a nationwide debate about the possible break-up of the 180-year-old nation, with Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia going their separate ways. "The Belgians play with their future," said francophone newspaper La Libre Belgique on Saturday. DRAWN-OUT TALKS Analysts draw comparisons between De Wever and Yves Leterme, the Christian Democrat who won the 2007 election on a pledge to win more powers for Flanders. Leterme took nine months to form his five-party government and offered his resignation three times in as many years. He finally fell after a dispute between Dutch- and French-speakers over the arcane, but emotive issue, of the electoral boundaries around Brussels. In the midst of a euro zone crisis, with financial speculators ready to attack budgetary laggards, Belgium, a country of 10.6 million people, can ill afford drawn-out coalition talks. Belgium's debt-to-GDP ratio, set to rise above 100 percent this year or next, is behind only Greece and Italy. The debt has been a secondary issue to reform of the state in past weeks, although the N-VA's opponents have said its success could unsettle financial markets. Damien Thiery, the French-speaking mayor of Linkebeek, just outside Brussels, said he did not favor the country splitting. "But it's something I could envisage in five to 10 years." Roland Decroix, an IT specialist from Dutch-speaking Sterrebeek, said he did not believe Belgium would break up. "But it's necessary to make concessions and I think we will have more a federation more like Switzerland," he said. Some 7.7 million Belgians are eligible to vote. Voting is compulsory, with first-time offenders risking a fine of up to 55 euros ($66) (Editing by Janet Lawrence and Mark Trevelyan) World Add a Comment *We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Analyst Research Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Labs Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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