THE HAGUE: Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he would resign on Tuesday, just hours after populist Geert Wilders pulled his PVV party out of the right-wing coalition, in a move that is likely to trigger snap elections. Ministers from Wilders' PVV party will leave the cabinet, while the remaining ministers will continue for now in a caretaker government. Any election will likely not be held before October, and the formation of a new government traditionally tends to take months in the fractured Dutch political landscape.
This comes as the hard right is growing in Europe, with anger over migration and the cost of living at risk of eroding Europe's unity over how to deal with Russia and with US President Donald Trump. Wilders said earlier on Tuesday that his party was pulling out because the other three coalition partners were not willing to support his ideas on asylum and immigration.
"No signature under our asylum plans. The PVV leaves the coalition," Wilders said in a post on X. The others parties in the coalition now have the option to try and proceed as a minority government, though they are not expected to. Opposition parties on Tuesday called for new elections. Wilders said his party was pulling out because the other three coalition partners were not willing to support his ideas on asylum and immigration. "No signature under our asylum plans. The PVV leaves the coalition," Wilders said in a post on X.
The prospect of a new election adds to political uncertainty in the Netherlands. It would likely delay a decision on boosting defense spending to meet new Nato targets, and would leave the Netherlands with only a caretaker government when it receives world leaders for a Nato summit later this month.
Wilders' coalition partners responded with disbelief and anger to his decision. "This is irresponsible, this is no moment to walk away," finance minister, Eelco Heinen, of the conservative VVD party, told reporters before he entered the crisis cabinet meeting. The others parties now have the option to try and proceed as a minority government, though they are not expected to.
Opposition parties on Tuesday called for new elections. "I see no other way to form a stable government," said Frans Timmermans, the leader of the Labour/Green combination.
VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz said she did not want to exclude any options. Junior coalition party BBB leader Caroline van der Plas said: "This coalition is done. But maybe other parties see a way forward." "The most obvious outcome will be new elections after the summer, end of October, November," said political scientist Joep van Lit at Radboud University in Nijmegen. — Reuters
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