Up in the Air

"Let's settle it, one way or the other," said Belgians who wanted a national referendum on whether King Leopold III should return to his throne. The vote was held, and this week the returns were in. They settled nothing.

Leopold had said that if he got less than 55% of the vote he would abdicate in favor of his son, Baudouin I (rhymes, approximately, with road man). Many of his opponents conceded that he should be allowed to return if he got 65%. Leaders of the Liberal Party, which holds the balance of power in Parliament, imposed a stricter condition: they would vote against Leopold unless he got a majority in all three sections of the country--Flanders, Wallonia and Brabant (the Brussels area).

The point of this condition is that Belgium, a synthetic nation, is made up of two somewhat antagonistic peoples, Flemings and Walloons. The monarchy in Belgium has to serve not only as a symbol of authority, but more importantly as a symbol of national unity. Therefore, said the Liberals, Leopold must be accepted by the Walloons as well as by the Flemings.

Acerbity & Rancor. Socialist Leader Paul-Henri Spaak opposed holding a referendum. He foresaw that the vote for Leopold might fall in the indecisive area between 55% and 65%, and that the King would carry Flanders, lose Wallonia. In that case, said Spaak, "the government would not only have on its hands the King's abdication or return, it would also have to appease the anger, acerbity and rancor of Flanders or Wallonia."

Nevertheless, the government went ahead with the referendum which was to be merely advisory, i.e., not binding on the Parliament. The Socialist and Liberal leaders urged the people to vote no on Leopold's return; the Christian Socialists (Catholics), just short of a parliamentary majority, asked for a yes vote.

Four main points were made against Leopold: 1) he had surrendered the Belgian army to the Germans; 2) he had refused to follow his ministers' decision that he accompany them to London exile; 3) he had accepted favors from the Germans; 4) he had married a Fleming, beautiful Mary Liliane Baels. Leopold's friends made vigorous defenses, especially on the surrender issue, arguing that continued resistance would have been militarily futile. Probably the issue that hurt Leopold most was his marriage. Many Walloons called him "King of the Flemings."

Another Vote? In this week's referendum, Leopold got 72.2% of the Flanders vote. He barely carried Brabant (50.2%) and got only 40.2% of the vote in Wallonia. For the country as a whole his majority was 57.68%.

The result left Belgian politics up in the air. Christian Socialist Premier Gaston

Eyskens decided to go to Pregny, Switzerland, to confer with the exiled King. Three possibilities: 1) Leopold will be allowed to come back with the understanding that he will immediately abdicate in favor of Baudouin; 2) the Christian Socialists will dissolve the government and seek a clear pro-Leopold majority in a new election; 3) some Liberal members of Parliament, noting that many of their party members voted for Leopold, may join with the Christian Socialists in voting for the King's return.

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