20070918 AP: Disgruntled Voter Puts Belgium Up for Sale on EBay

AP: Disgruntled Voter Puts Belgium Up for Sale on EBay

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

BRUSSELS, Belgium

The keys of the kingdom were posted on eBay.

Fed up with a three-month political standoff, a Belgian teacher posted an ad on the online auction site: "For Sale: Belgium, a Kingdom in three parts ... free premium: the king and his court (costs not included)."

Gerrit Six placed the advertisement on Saturday, offering free delivery, but pointing out that the country was coming secondhand and that potential buyers would have to take on more than $300 billion in national debt.

[…]

Like many of Belgium's 10 million citizens, Six is exasperated about a power struggle that has left Belgium in political limbo since the June 10 elections.

Demands for more autonomy from the Dutch-speaking Flemish are resisted by the French-speaking Walloons, making it impossible to form a government coalition and triggering concern the kingdom is on the verge of a breakup.

[…]

Read the rest of the article here: AP: Disgruntled Voter Puts Belgium Up for Sale on EBay