Belgium's prime minister-in-waiting is in trouble after it emerged he couldn't remember his country's national anthem.
Yves Leterme burst into the opening line of France's anthem La Marseillaise after TV reporters asked if he knew Belgium's La Brabanconne.
His gaffe was quickly posted on YouTube, attracting tens of thousands of viewers, reports the Daily Telegraph.
To make matters worse for Leterne, who has previously irked Belgium's French speakers by saying they were too stupid or unwilling to learn Flemish, he made the gaffe on Belgium's National Day.
He was then caught out by another question, again on television, revealing that he did not know why Belgium has its national day on July 21.
Leterme's response to the ensuing row has only alarmed his critics further.
"I have much more important things to do than this crap. Those who are after me will pay for it sooner or later," he said.
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