Geert Wilders is making no progress in his efforts to form a government in the Netherlands. The responsible mediator is pessimistic.
Right-wing populist Geert Wilders has suffered a setback in his efforts to form a government in the Netherlands. The mediator responsible for the coalition negotiations announced on Monday that he currently saw no way to reach an agreement – and threw in the towel. The differences between Wilder’s PVV and anti-corruption campaigner Pieter Omtzigt’s New Social Contract (NSC) party are too great.
Wilder’s right-wing populist PVV surprisingly won the early parliamentary elections in the Netherlands in November. As a government alliance, Wilders aimed for a four-party coalition with the VVD of the previous head of government Mark Rutte, the NSC and the farmers’ party BBB. The basic requirement, however, is an agreement with the NSC: Without their 20 of a total of 150 parliamentary seats, Wilders has no chance of forming a majority government. His PVV won 37 seats in the election.
Minority government in the Netherlands?
The NSC had already declared last week that it no longer wanted to take part in coalition negotiations. She cited disagreements over public finances as the reason. At the same time, however, she offered to continue to work “constructively” on forming a government. She cited “constructive support for a minority government” as a possibility.
Former minister Ronald Plasterk, who led the negotiations, announced on Monday that he was giving up. An agreement might still be possible – but not through his intervention. “I recommend appointing a new negotiator with extensive administrative and political experience.”
Wilder’s election victory was tantamount to a political earthquake for the Netherlands. The right-wing populist is sometimes compared to former US President Donald Trump because of his violent polemics against immigrants and Muslims. His party’s election manifesto called for, among other things, a ban on mosques and referendums on the Netherlands leaving the EU and an end to arms deliveries to Ukraine.
