The 2014 Belgian elections will test whether the country has learned the lessons from the political deadlock of 2010

Alongside the European Parliament elections in May, Belgium will also hold simultaneous federal and regional elections. Régis Dandoy assesses the role of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) in the elections. The N-VA, which advocates the independence of Flanders from Belgium, emerged as the largest Belgian party in the 2010 federal elections, but the country endured 20 months of negotiations before a government was finally formed. He notes that with the N-VA likely to receive similar levels of support in 2014, lessons from the 2010 crisis will need to be taken on board if the same impasse between Flemish and Francophone parties is to be avoided.