Herman Van Rompuy 2007, was elected as the President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, succeeding Herman De Croo. On 28 December 2008, following the 2007–2008 Belgian political crisis, was asked by King Albert II to form a new government after he was reluctant to take up the role of prime minister. He was sworn in as Belgian prime minister on 30 December 2008. On 13 October 2009 Bloomberg reported that the government of would seek to tax banks and nuclear power to tame the deficit. "We are in the early stages of a recovery and at this time it is important not
Belgium was sworn in by the king. On 2008 Leterme announced the resignation of the cabinet to the king, as no progress in constitutional reforms had been made. In December 2008 he once more offered his resignation to the king after a crisis surrounding the sale of Fortis to BNP Paribas. At this juncture, his resignation was accepted and Christian Democratic and Flemish Herman Van Rompuy was sworn in as Prime Minister on 2008. After Herman Van Rompuy was designated the first permanent President of the European Council on 2009, he offered the resignation of his government to King Albert II