BRUSSELS (Reuters) - New Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy won backing from parliament on Friday for his government that faces a looming recessing and a lingering bank crisis.
Parliament voted for the new government by 88 votes to 45, with no abstentions. The team largely resembles the cabinet of Yves Leterme whose government collapsed on December 19 over the stalled bailout of stricken financial group Fortis.
Van Rompuy urged parliament on Wednesday to pass bills to revive the economy and restore confidence shattered by the financial crisis. He plans initially to continue the policies of his predecessor.
Belgium is expected to have entered a recession in the fourth quarter, faces a bank crisis and is beset by a dispute over devolution that has seen it lurch from one political crisis to another since the June 2007 election.
Leterme's government this month proposed pumping 2 billion euros into the economy next year, part of a 200 billion euro EU-wide stimulus package.
(Reporting by Anne Jolis, Writing by Philip Blenkinsop)
