Dutch government collapses as far-right leader exits coalition
The Dutch government collapsed on Tuesday, likely leading to a snap election, after anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders withdrew from the right-wing coalition, accusing other parties of not supporting his stricter immigration policies.
But Prime Minister Dick Schoof, an independent, accused the political maverick of irresponsibility, and the other coalition parties denied failing to support Wilders, saying they had been awaiting proposals from his PVV party’s own migration minister, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
PVV ministers will quit the cabinet, leaving the others to continue as a caretaker administration until an election unlikely to be held before October.
Frustration with migration and the high cost of living is boosting the far right and widening divisions in Europe, just as it needs unity to deal effectively with a hostile Russia and an unpredictable and combative US president in the form of Donald Trump.
“We are facing major challenges both nationally and internationally that require decisiveness from us,” he added, before handing his resignation to King Willem-Alexander.
The prospect of a new election is likely to delay a decision on boosting defence spending and means the Netherlands will have only a caretaker government when it hosts a summit of the transatlantic NATO alliance this month.
Wilders said he had had no option but to quit the coalition.
“I proposed a plan to close the borders for asylum seekers, to send them away, to shut asylum shelters. I demanded coalition partners sign up to that, which they didn’t. That left me no choice but to withdraw my support for this government,” he told reporters. “I signed up for the strictest asylum policies, not for the demise of the Netherlands.”
He said he would lead the PVV into a new election and hoped to be the next prime minister.
An election is now likely at the end of October or in November, said political scientist Joep van Lit at Radboud University in Nijmegen. Even then, the fractured political landscape means formation of a new government may take months.
It remains to be seen whether right-wing voters will see the turn of events as Wilders’ failure to turn his proposals into reality, or rather decide that he needs a bigger mandate to get his way, van Lit said.
Simon Otjes, assistant professor in Dutch politics at Leiden University, said the PVV must have calculated that the next election would be seen as a referendum on immigration policy, “because they know they would win that”.
Amsterdam resident Michelle ten Berge hoped that “with the new election we will choose ... a government that’s more moderate”.
But florist Ron van den Hoogenband, in The Hague, said he expected Wilders to emerge the winner and take control of parliament “so he can do like Trump is doing and other European countries where the extreme right is taking over”.
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