BRUSSELS,  (Reuters) – A Flemish party that wants to  split Belgium triumphed in a parliamentary election yesterday, a  result that could make it hard to form a coalition quickly and  deliver austerity to contain a rising national debt.

Belgium can ill afford drawn-out coalition talks because  policy paralysis could make the country more vulnerable on  financial markets that are closely watching a sovereign debt  crisis among the 16 countries that use the euro.

The N-VA (New Flemish Alliance) was the strongest party in  the Dutch-speaking Flanders region of northern Belgium. It won   more votes there than the French-speaking Socialists (PS)  secured in separate voting in the southern, Francophone region  of Wallonia, nearly complete results showed.

“The N-VA has won the election today,” N-VA leader Bart De  Wever, 39, told cheering, flag-waving supporters who burst into  a rendition of the Flemish national anthem.

Interior Ministry projections showed the N-VA, which   advocates Belgium’s step-by-step dissolution with Flanders and  Wallonia going their separate ways, would have 27 seats in the  lower house of parliament, one more than the PS.

But together with the Flemish socialists, the PS could form  the largest group in parliament, meaning PS leader Elio Di Rupo  could become the next prime minister. De Wever is reluctant to be leader of a united Belgium, and  has said he is open to the idea of a first French-speaking  premier since 1974 if that would bring more powers to Flanders.

“You don’t have to like each other to work together,” he  said.

The Christian Democrats and the liberals, former partners in  the government, suffered heavy losses.

It is the first time a party advocating the end of Belgium  has won the most votes in a federal election.