From political deadlock to dramatic illness, Belgium’s protracted quest to appoint a prime minister has had it all.

Now, nine months after triumphing in a general ­election, Yves Leterme, a divisive Christian Democrat, is finally due to take power next week.

The final act in his political resurrection, expected over the Easter period, should close a torrid chapter in Belgian history but it might only provide a short respite from tensions that have caught international attention.

Mr Leterme, who has mused that the king, the national football team and beer are all that unite the country’s Flemish majority and francophone minority, faces immediate challenges to keep his government together.

As he settles into the ­premier’s neoclassical office in Brussels, Mr Leterme, a Fleming, must tackle heightened tensions over the issue of further devolution.

These frictions between the country’s regions were at the heart of an embarrassing 192-day political impasse after the election. At the height of the post-poll deadlock, the longest in the country’s history, there were fears that Belgium might even split in two.

Mr Leterme campaigned in Flanders, the wealthy, Dutch-speaking area, on a populist pledge to bring more self-rule on tax and employment policy but this will be hard to deliver. He is also under pressure to reach a new settlement in July on reform of the state.

Belgium, home to 10.5m people, has zealously dismembered the federal state and is one of the European Union’s most decentralised nations.

The country’s regions already enjoy wide autonomy and a hard-fought deal last month will give them even more power over industrial policy, housing and agriculture.

Some in Flanders – home to Mr Leterme – seek more self-rule but the poorer francophone south, once economically dominant thanks to heavy industry but now propped up by Flemish handouts, is wary of changing the status quo.

The pressure for constitutional change will be just one of many tests of the new five-party government, comprised of both francophone and Dutch-speaking groups. It must also reach an agreement on a federal budget.

To make matters more tricky, Mr Leterme’s leadership ability has been called into question amid accusations of indecision. He has rattled Belgium’s francophones with unfortunate comments about them, although he has recently sought to mend bridges.

As one government official says: “Leterme’s not the most emotionally intelligent of people. He makes slips of the tongue but it is not a strategy [to antagonise the francophone community].”

Frank Vandenbroucke, a socialist politician who worked with Mr Leterme when the incoming prime minister led the Flemish administration, has a positive opinion: “He listened to coalition partners and was careful to take into account differing views.”

Mr Leterme’s chance for the premiership looked as if it had slipped away after he failed to form a government following June’s elections – disputes over constitutional reform and language rights scuppered attempts to create a coalition. However, a political agreement in December revitalised his quest.

His future was thrown into doubt again when he was hospitalised for two weeks in February, suffering from internal bleeding. The 47-year-old returned to work this month and appears chastened by his illness.

“I shall try to act in a different way, seeking more equilibrium, more wisdom, more calm, but evidently still with the same enthusiasm and the same devotion,” he said.

On paper, Mr Leterme is well qualified for his new role. For all his Flemish focus, he has a francophone Belgian father and speaks impeccable French. In addition, he has worked at regional, federal and European Union level.

Mr Leterme takes over from Guy Verhofstadt, who had been premier since 1999. Mr Verhofstadt lost the election last summer but stayed to run a caretaker government until a handover.

As the deadlock persisted he patched together a three-month administration in December to take urgently needed decisions.

Regional administrations already run many day to day services, so everyday life was largely untouched by the political impasse. But the tensions triggered deep uncertainty about the country’s united future and the business community was troubled by the inability to pass key legislation.

Marc Swyngedouw, of the Catholic University of Leuven’s social sciences faculty, says: “If he wants to be a successful prime minister he needs the support of both sides of the country.

“We have come through a period of instability but, with the challenges that he faces, this is unlikely to end when Mr Leterme becomes premier.”