BELGIUM: No Easy Answer

Belgium’s Christian Socialists, who had fallen just short of an absolute majority (TIME, July 4), last week sought to form a coalition cabinet. Premier-designate Paul van Zeeland pledged an “unflinching” fight for return of exiled King Leopold III. The Liberal Party shunned “rash decisions” on the royal question; they wanted tax cuts first. The Socialists growled ominously: if Leopold came back, they would call a general strike. As the tense maneuvering between the parties continued, it seemed that Belgium’s royal question would have no easy answer.