',le Belgian Cabinet Crisis Belgium has been for several days
in the throes of a )litical crisis which, centring in the first instance on a ngle personality, has involved principles which raise the hole Fleming-Walloon issue, and has disrupted not only the Cabinet, but at least one political party. Dr. Maertens, who was sentenced to death in absentia after the War for me part he had taken in helping the Germans to separate Flanders from the Walloon regions of Belgium, benefited by general amnesty in 1937, and has just been appointed to membership of the new Flemish Academy. Against that both ',service men and the Liberal members of the Cabinet ;-rotested vigorously, with the result that the Prime Minister, M. Spaak, resigned on February gth. With the incident widening out into a split between Flemings and Walloons various attempts to form a Cabinet, first by M. Jaspar and then by M. Pierlot, a Catholic Senator, have failed. In the. course of the dispute M. Degrelle's Rexist party has split, a deputy and a Senator of that party having supported Dr \laertens contrary to the wish of M. Degrelle. Dr. Maertens Is not being permitted by his Flemish supporters to solve the problem by resigning, so the deadlock continues.
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