Flemish Nationalists Thwart Ascent of Secessionist Party as They Win Belgian Elections

Voters in Belgium handed a victory to a conservative Flemish nationalist party, disproving polls that had predicted a sweep to first place by Flemish secessionists, preliminary results showed on Sunday.

The New Flemish Alliance, a party that seeks greater autonomy for the Dutch-speaking northern half of Belgium, was poised in the national elections to become the country’s largest.

The results, if confirmed in the final count, will bring relief to the country’s political establishment, which had long been bracing for a victory by the far-right party Vlaams Belang.

With more than 70 percent of the votes counted nationwide on Sunday evening, the New Flemish Alliance was set to secure 22 percent of the national vote, with Vlaams Belang trailing with 17 percent.

“Friends, we have won these elections! And admit it, you didn’t expect that,” the New Flemish Alliance leader, Bart De Wever, told supporters gathered in Brussels.

“The polls were bad,” he added. “The comments in the press were scathing. Our obituary was written. But you never gave up.”