Thousands flood streets of Brussels in first test for new government

The coalition of six political parties agreed to make cuts worth 11.3 billion euros next year to bring the public deficit under the eurozone ceiling of three per cent of GDP.

Belgium’s protests comes just days after similar marches in Britain, Greece and Portugal. The capital’s public transport system was disrupted as unions expected more than 50,000 people to join the demonstrations.

Anne Delemenne, of the FGTB socialist union told the French news agency that people were angry with paying for the mistakes of bankers.

“Belgium has become a fiscal heaven for the rich and a fiscal hell for those who get up early,” she said.

Di Rupo will be sworn in a prime minister early next week after a deal was finally agreed to end a crisis that left the country without a government for a world-record 19 months.