Belgium will set an uneviable record tomorrow for the longest period in its 177-year history without a government, after divisive election results in June.

Despite widespread concern that the impasse could lead to the break-up of a country deeply split between Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north and French-speaking Wallonia in the south, the four parties trying to form a coalition still cannot find agreement on several key issues.

With the 148-day record from 1988 certain to be broken, however, the country is experiencing an even more unusual phenomenon – an outpouring of Belgian national pride from those who want the troubled country to stay together.

Belgium’s black, gold and red flag hangs out of apartment windows across the capital of Brussels, and two website petitions endorsed by “famous Belgians” are encouraging the politicians to make peace. The pin-up girls of the Save Belgium movement are the successful women’s 4x100m relay team, whose bronze-medal performance in last month’s World Championships was supported on both sides of the linguistic divide, providing a rare moment of national unity.

“Our team consists of Flemish, Bruxelloise and Walloons,” said Hannah Marien, the mouthpiece of the group. “Whichever way you look at it, it is the key to our strength.”

The sprinters have been praised by Kris Peeters, the new Flemish regional prime minister, as “an example for the politicians” and by the Flemish sports minister as “the face of Belgium”.

The petition they endorse declares: “We are Belgians and world citizens. We do not want to erect new walls between people, between regions and countries. We do not want to replace the solidarity principle by competition and egotism. The solidarity between the richer and the poorer citizens and between the richer and the poorer regions are the pillars of our society.”

Even with their encouragement only 74,000 Belgians have signed up so far out of a country of 10.5 million people. For the Flemish, the solidarity principle is code for subsidising Wallonia’s high welfare benefits from their taxes – unemployment is three times higher in the south.

The Belgian tricolour barely flies in the north. Wollux, the main flag-maker, released statistics showing that only 15 per cent of its 34,000 extra sales were in Flanders, where support for independence is far higher than in the south or Brussels.

Yves Leterme, leader of the Flemish Christian Democrats and Prime Minister-designate, said that although relations between the Flemish and Walloons “is not the most important issue on the political programme, it is the tripping stone”. He gave warning that it would take at least three more weeks to form an administration because the three trickiest policy areas have yet to be resolved: devolution, the budget and redrawing the Brussels constituency boundary.

These are the issues that create the greatest suspicion over Mr Leterme’s real long-term plan for the country, which French-speaking politicians fear is to give so much power to the regions that Flemish succession becomes inevitable.

State of confusion

- Somalia had no government for nine years from 1991 when the dictator Siad Barre was deposed

- A row over representation meant there was no government in Canada between 1861 and 1864 despite two general elections

- Haiti spent 18 months without a government from 1997 and 18 months with no parliament from 1999

Sources: www.globalthink.net; news agencies

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