Voting has closed in the Belgian parliamentary election.
Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt is expected to lose power when the results are in later today.
He is more popular nationwide than his main rival, Yves Leterme, in opinion polls, but Belgians vote for parties not personalities and Mr Leterme's Christian Democrats are well ahead in opinion polls in Flanders, where 60% of Belgians live.
Ten parties have realistic chances of winning seats in parliament. Up to six may be part of the next government.
The most likely national combination appears to be the Flemish Christian Democrats and their francophone sister party with the two socialist groups, although they disagree on whether to create jobs with tax cuts or by more spending on education.
Analysts do not exclude an alliance with the resurgent Greens or one of all three main parties from each linguistic community.
No mainstream group will work with the far-right Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang party.
It could be another three months before a new government is formed.
