030401

Belgian Premier's support slips

BRUSSELS: Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's government is approaching elections with slightly less public support than it enjoyed at the end of last year, according the results of a key poll published on Monday.

With less than two months until general elections, the quarterly poll, published by the daily La Libre Belgique, showed Verhofstadt's six-party coalition government had the confidence of 38 percent of those polled.

That level is virtually the same as it was when the government came to power in 1999, but down from the 40 percent registered when the poll was last run in December.

The latest results showed a further 23 percent of those polled did not have confidence in Verhofstadt's government, and the remaining 39 percent had no opinion. Belgians vote for a new federal government on May 18.--Reuters