Belgiumâ„¢s King Albert II (L) and Crown Prince Philippe (R) during the abdication ceremony in Brussels, July 21, 2013
Belgiumâ„¢s King Albert II has abdicated in favor of his son Philippe, handing over the throne after a 20-year reign.
The 79-year-old monarch abdicated on Sunday in favor of his eldest son Crown Prince Philippe, 53, during a ceremony at the royal palace in Brussels.
Philippe becomes the seventh monarch of a country deeply divided between its French- and Flemish-speaking halves.
During the ceremony, Albert stressed his wish that the country should remain united, amid calls for more autonomy for the six million Dutch-speaking Flemings and 4.5 million French-speakers.
Belgium has a constitutional monarchy, in which the king plays a largely ceremonial role; however, one of the monarchâ„¢s duties is trying to resolve constitutional crises.
Albert exercised his duty during the 2010-2011 parliamentary stalemate, when the country was left without a government for 541 days over bickering about how much power the separate language groups should hold.
The tensions between the separate language groups have brought down several governments, creating political instability in the country.
King Albert’s abdication comes only three months after Queen Beatrix of the neighboring Netherlands left the Dutch throne in favor of her son Willem-Alexander.
CAH/HJL
Republished with permission from: Press TV