Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Brussels to protest against a package of austerity measures promised by the country's incoming government.

The trade unions that organized the demonstration claimed more than 50,000 people had joined the protest in the Belgian capital. Police declined to provide a figure, saying it was too early to come up with an estimate.

"We are fed up [with] paying for the mistakes of bankers," said Anne Delemenne, secretary general of the FGTB union. "Instead of scaling down unemployment benefits, we should cut bonuses for traders and dividends for shareholders."

New government

Socialist leader Elio Di Rupo is set to be sworn in as prime minister of a coalition government next week, ending nearly 18 months of uncertainty following Belgium's last parliamentary election in June 2010.

The six-party coalition has agreed to cuts worth 11.3 billion euros ($15.2 billion) in an effort to get the deficit down to below the eurozone ceiling of 3 percent of gross domestic product in the 2012 budget.

Among the measures planned are reductions in unemployment benefits and other public sector cuts.

Friday's demonstration in Brussels follows a series of demonstrations and national strikes in other European Union countries, where governments have also imposed tough austerity measures as they attempt to bring down high public debt.

Author: Chuck Penfold (Reuters, AFP, dpa)
Editor: Martin Kuebler