Belgian voters have hit the polls on Sunday, June 13, in a general election, in which Flemish separatist parties are expected to do well, increasing concerns that Belgium is moving towards a split along its linguistic fault line.

The head of the Flemish Alliance (NVA) party, Bart De Wever, wants Dutch-speaking Flanders to sever its ties with French-speaking Wallonia. There is a long history of tension between the two regions. Belgians living in Flanders have currently half the unemployment of those in Wallonia, and a 25 percent higher per-capita income. Only the capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual.

The elections were called after a coalition government collapsed at the end of April in a dispute over bilingualism.

Voting is compulsory for the 7.7 million voters in Belgium, 60 percent of whom are Flemish. Polls are open till 3 p.m. local time on Sunday.

Author: Joanna Impey (AFP/AP/dpa)

Editor: Toma Tasovac