Voters endorsed the New Flemish Alliance Party (NFA) in the ballot held on Sunday which means it is now the largest party in parliament with 27 seats – up from 19.

Belgium’s fragile unity will now be under even greater strain.

The country is divided along linguistic grounds. In Flanders to the north they speak Dutch, while in Wallonia to the south the mother tongue is French…

The splits between Flanders and Wallonia are already massive.

Urban development, environment, agriculture, employment, energy, culture and sports administration are autonomous for each region.