Cabinet Crisis

Following the recent Belgian general election (TIME, Apr. 20), King Albert, who accepted the resignations of the Theunis Cabinet on Apr. 5, called the noted Socialist, M. Emile Van der Velde, to the Royal Palace and requested him to form a Cabinet, which he attempted to do.

The position of the parties in the Chamber of Deputies leaves the Socialists, even counting the six Flemish Nationalists, in a minority of 17. But M. Van der Velde was not without hope. Were not the Catholics themselves divided? Yes, indeed. So the Socialist leader, onetime Minister of Justice, set about securing the support of the Flemish and Liberal Catholics.

Several days of negotiations ended with unfavorable results and M. Van der Velde was forced to give up his Cabinet architecture. At best, his support would have been tenuous and his Government would consequently have been always at the mercy of dissident Catholics.

The Cabinet crisis continued, Premier Theunis retaining power ad interim; but the King was hourly expected to call upon a prominent Catholic to form a Socialist-Catholic coalition which, if possible, would command the huge majority of 127 in the Chamber and 107 in the Senate.