Belgium's parliament endorsed the new government led by Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy in a vote of confidence on Friday.

The vote was held in the lower house of parliament after six hours of debate on the new government's policy statement presented by van Rompuy on Wednesday. The votes were 88 for and 45 against, with no abstentions.

Van Rompuy, a Flemish Christian Democrat, said that the new government's top priority will be to tackle the economic crisis.

Van Rompuy, 61, succeeds fellow party member Yves Leterme, who was forced to resign two weeks ago following accusations that he tried to interfere in a court case on the partial sale of financial services group Fortis to French bank BNP Paribas.

The new coalition is comprised of the same five parties which made up the previous government -- the Flemish Christian Democrats, the Flemish Liberals, the Francophone Christian Democrats, the Francophone Liberals and the Francophone Socialists.

The new government was sworn in on Tuesday and van Rompuy presented the government's plans in the parliament the following day. Van Rompuy said he will continue with the main policies of his predecessor, including an economic stimulus package to deal with a looming recession.