BRUSSELS -- Outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt was asked Wednesday to form a new government following the May 18 legislative election, the royal palace said in a statement.

Verhofstadt, head of the Flemish Liberal VLD Party, is likely to resume his post as government head after the elections which saw victory for his liberals and socialists who are expected to be in a new ruling coalition, AFP reported.

Liberal and socialist leaders, who have almost the same number of seats in Parliament, have said they want to govern again so long as they can strike a deal which respects their priorities.

By tradition the prime minister's post goes to the head of the strongest party in the northern Flanders region of Belgium, home to 60 percent of the linguistically-divided country's population.

The statement by the Office of King Albert II came after he was handed a report by the Head of the Francophone Socialist Party, Elio di Rupo, who was tasked with drawing up a report on the options for a new coalition.

Verhofstadt has led a six-party rainbow coalition, including liberals, socialists and greens, for the last four years, after ousting Christian democrats who had governed for decades.

In the elections, Flemish and Francophone liberals together 49 deputies in the 150-seat Parliament, while the Flemish and French-speaking socialists have a combined 48. The socialists won slightly more votes. The greens slumped dramatically.