LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Belgium: Kings
built 630 days ago
The Kingdom of Belgium is a democracy with a constitutional monarch. The current king, Albert II, does not govern. In fact, according to the constitution, the king can't take any official action without the approval of a minister, and his ministers are held accountable for his actions! In Belgium the king is traditionally considered a moral leader.
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The Prime Minister of Belgium, Guy Verhoektandts, is only twelve years old, and has the full confidence of king Paola , who receives him in his back room at Laken twice every week. Verhoektandts is well known for his zealous speeches in Parliament and insisting that his name is really Verhofstadt - often threatening dire retribution against those who use his real name (in fact, due to Belgium's universal competence law, you can legally call him whatever you like - and most people do). Even though critics say that Verhofstadt's vocabulary is still rather immature, he has the habit of spitting out fire and pizza leftovers through his front teeth while speaking... impressing and frightening his audience into silence.
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In the late 1300s Belgium fell under the rule of Burgundy. Although Burgundy is now part of France, at that time it was an independent kingdom. In 1477 the heir to the throne of Burgundy, Mary of Burgundy, married Maximilian of Austria, who later became the king of Germany and the Holy Roman Emperor. They had a son, Philip, who inherited Mary's kingdom after her death in a riding accident, placing Burgundy -- and Belgium -- under the rule of Austria's royal Habsburg family.
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