An important de facto body is the "inner cabinet" (kernkabinet; conseil des ministres restreint or kern), consisting of the Prime Minister and the deputy prime ministers. They meet to make the most important political decisions. Formation After the elections, the Prime Minister of the former government offers his resignation to the king, and the formation process for a new government starts. The incumbent government remains in office in a caretaker role until the new government is sworn in. This process is based largely on constitutional convention rather than written law. The king is first consulted by the President of the Chamber of Representatives and the President of the Senate. The King also meets a number of prominent politicians in order to discuss the election results. Following these meetings, an Informateur is appointed. The Informateur has the task of exploring the various possibilities for the new Federal Government and assessing which parties can form a majority in the Federal Parliament. He also meets with prominent people in the socio-economic field to learn their views on the policy that the new Federal Government should conduct. The Informateur then reports to the King and advises him about the appointment of the Formateur. However the King can also appoint a second Informateur or appoint a royal mediator. The task of a royal mediator is to reach an agreement on contentious issues, resolve remaining obstacles to the formation of a Federal Government and prepare the ground for a Formateur. On 5 July 2007 King Albert II appointed Jean-Luc Dehaene as royal mediator to reach an agreement on a new State Reform. The Formateur is appointed by the king on the basis of the informateur's report. The task of the Formateur is to form a new government coalition and lead the negotiations about the government agreement and the composition of the government. If these negotiations succeed, the Formateur presents a new Federal Government to the king. Usually, the Formateur also becomes the Prime Minister. In accordance with article 96 of the Belgian Constitution, the King appoints and dismisses his ministers. However, since all royal acts require the countersignature of a minister, the outgoing Prime Minister countersigns the Royal Order appointing the new Prime Minister, who then countersigns the Royal Order accepting the resignation of his predecessor. The Prime Minister then countersigns the royal orders appointing the other members of the new Federal Government. The appointed ministers