TOOK LONG ENOUGH
Dutch anti-Islam party says it's brokered a provisional coalition deal for a hard-right governmentCAN'T CLAIM TO MAKE THE TRAINS RUN ON TIME
RAF CASERT
Updated Wed, May 15, 2024
Chairman of the Dutch Freedom Party Geert Wilders speaks at the third Hungarian edition of the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, April 26, 2024. The two-day event is hosted from April 25 to 26 by the Center for Fundamental Rights of Hungary for the third consecutive year.
Richard CARTER
Wed, May 15, 2024
Wilders called it a historic day (Sem van der Wal)
Six months after Geert Wilders won a stunning election victory, squabbling politicians finally clinched an agreement Wednesday on a coalition government, said the Dutch far-right leader, who will not be prime minister.
"We have a negotiators' agreement," said Wilders, who had reluctantly agreed to give up his dream of running the European Union's fifth-largest economy amid widespread unease over his anti-Islam, anti-European views.
It was not immediately clear who would be prime minister to lead the right-wing coalition government and replace Mark Rutte, who is almost certain to be tapped as the new NATO secretary general.
"Discussions over the prime minister will be held at a later time," Wilders told reporters.
However, the main contender looks to be former education and interior minister Ronald Plasterk, who also played a key role in overseeing the initial talks.
Later on Wednesday, MPs for the four parties all gave their approval to the deal, the details of which were not immediately available.
In March, the four parties agreed to aim for a partially technocratic government made up of 50 percent politicians and 50 percent from outside politics.
The last time the Netherlands had such an "expert" government was in 1918 and it is not clear how it will work more than 100 years later.
After marathon talks on Tuesday, Wilders said it would be a "historic day" if his far-right PVV Freedom Party took part in a Dutch government for the first time.
The far-right has gained in elections across Europe but has struggled to translate votes into power as other parties refuse to work with them.
"It's a worrisome day. We now have a radical right-wing party under Wilders that finds itself at the centre of power in the Netherlands," said opposition leader Frans Timmermans from the Greens-Left alliance.
- 'A bit longer' -
Wilders, sometimes nicknamed the "Dutch Trump", has softened some of his policy positions but his election manifesto still called for a ban on the Koran and mosques.
After winning the largest share of the vote in the elections, Wilders was primed to be the country's first far-right PM but at least one of his coalition partners threatened to torpedo a deal in that case.
"Do not forget: I will become prime minister of the Netherlands one day. With the support of even more Dutch," Wilders said after reluctantly stepping aside.
"If not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. Because the voices of millions of Dutch will be heard."
The coalition talks -- between Wilders' PVV, farmers party BBB, the liberal VVD and new anti-corruption party NSC -- have been fractious, not helped by social media sniping from all sides.
In February, NSC head Pieter Omtzigt abruptly stormed out of the talks, ostensibly over disagreements over public finances but he was also known to have major concerns about Wilders' more extreme policies.
Asked why it had taken nearly six months to form a government, Omtzigt smiled and said: "Well, it's a bit the story of the forming of this government."
"Every phase took just a bit longer than we thought, but that's normal."
It has become something of a tradition for Dutch governments to take a long time forming.
The last Rutte government took 271 days to take shape.
jhe-ric/gv
Explainer-How will Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders form a government?
Reuters
Wed, May 15, 2024
Dutch politicians meet after election to start coalition talks
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands was set to have its most right-wing government in recent history after anti-immigration populist Geert Wilders said he was close to working out a deal with coalition partners.
WHAT WILL THE NEW PROPOSED GOVERNMENT LOOK LIKE?
Wilders' nationalist PVV party, the clear winner of the Nov. 22 election, will form a coalition with outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right VVD, the new centrist NSC and the farmers protest upstart BBB.
The Netherlands is usually governed by coalitions that nail down their plans in detailed government pacts, but this time parties said they would aim for a broad agreement and a government of technocrats with looser ties to parliament.
This would involve a cabinet of political veterans and outside experts, who would have to seek majorities for their policy proposals. Those positions need to be agreed upon by all parties, which could prove difficult.
WHO WILL LEAD IT?
Talks have been strained from the start as the VVD and NSC remained reluctant to work with Wilders, who called for shutting down mosques and banning the Koran in the Netherlands.
In an effort to overcome this reluctance, Wilders toned down parts of his anti-EU and anti-Islam rhetoric and said he was ready to forego the role of prime minister, traditionally filled by the leader of the largest party.
Wilders could announce his candidate for the top job on Wednesday.
Even without a direct government position, however, the always outspoken leader is still set to have a large influence over policies.
Wilders regularly uses his X account with 1.4 million followers to lash out against political opponents, migrants and mainstream media and has said he won't change his style once in government.
CAN WE EXPECT MAJOR POLICY SHIFTS?
Not many details of the government pact have leaked, but it is clear the coalition will aim to severely limit immigration.
A draft page of the pact photographed and published by Dutch media last week showed the parties aimed for the "strictest-ever rules for admitting asylum seekers".
Wilders also made promises of lavish spending on healthcare and a lowering of the retirement age, but budget constraints make it unlikely the other parties will all support these plans.
Economic experts, including the Dutch central bank, have warned the new coalition would have to find around 17 billion euros ($18.4 billion) in structural spending cuts to keep government finances in check.
Wilders has dropped his resistance to all weapon deliveries to Ukraine, and is also no longer calling for a Dutch exit from the EU.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The four prospective government parties planned to finalise their deal on Wednesday, after which they will report to parliament.
The candidate prime minister will then likely be tasked with filling the rest of the government positions, with candidates supplied by the four parties, in a process which is likely to take weeks, NSC-leader Pieter Omtzigt said.
($1 = 0.9235 euros)
(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Anthony Deutsch: Editing by Nick Macfie)
RAF CASERT
Updated Wed, May 15, 2024
Chairman of the Dutch Freedom Party Geert Wilders speaks at the third Hungarian edition of the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC Hungary, in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, April 26, 2024. The two-day event is hosted from April 25 to 26 by the Center for Fundamental Rights of Hungary for the third consecutive year.
(Zoltan Mathe/MTI via AP)
BRUSSELS (AP) — Anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders and three other Dutch party leaders said Wednesday they have brokered a provisional coalition deal in a move that brings closer a government driven by the hard right in yet another European Union nation.
The party leaders said that they will put the text to their party backbenchers before a full government deal can be announced. The parties still have to agree on a prime minister, who is expected to be a technocrat from outside the party structures.
With hard right and populist parties now part of or leading a half dozen governments in the 27-nation bloc, they appear positioned to make gains in the June 6-9 election for the European Parliament.
“We have a deal among negotiators and we will return to the position of prime minister at a later moment,” said Wilders. He has reluctantly acknowledged he will not succeed Mark Rutte and instead has pushed for an outsider.
The name of a prime minister was still elusive, and even though Wilders won the election, he was considered by many too risky to be the national leader.
Speculation has centered on Ronald Plasterk, from the Labor Party, who shot back to prominence this year when he became the first “scout” to hold talks with political leaders about possible coalitions.
Wilders has called Plasterk a “creative spirit” with political experience but who is also distanced enough from the current political scene.
"If you want a government to succeed, you need a prime minister that unites,” said Pieter Omtzigt, leader of the centrist New Social Contract party. Outgoing Prime Minister Rutte's center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the populist Farmer Citizen Movement are also in the coalition deal.
Wilders’ Party for Freedom won 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of the Dutch parliament, and the four parties combined hold a comfortable majority of 88 seats.
After two decades in the opposition, Wilders seemed to have a shot at leading a nation that long prided itself on its tolerant society, but he has stepped aside in the interests of pushing through most of his agenda.
From Finland to Croatia, hard-line right parties are part of European governing coalitions, and hard right or populist prime ministers are leading Hungary, Slovakia and Italy.
Dutch parties reach deal to form government
BRUSSELS (AP) — Anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders and three other Dutch party leaders said Wednesday they have brokered a provisional coalition deal in a move that brings closer a government driven by the hard right in yet another European Union nation.
The party leaders said that they will put the text to their party backbenchers before a full government deal can be announced. The parties still have to agree on a prime minister, who is expected to be a technocrat from outside the party structures.
With hard right and populist parties now part of or leading a half dozen governments in the 27-nation bloc, they appear positioned to make gains in the June 6-9 election for the European Parliament.
“We have a deal among negotiators and we will return to the position of prime minister at a later moment,” said Wilders. He has reluctantly acknowledged he will not succeed Mark Rutte and instead has pushed for an outsider.
The name of a prime minister was still elusive, and even though Wilders won the election, he was considered by many too risky to be the national leader.
Speculation has centered on Ronald Plasterk, from the Labor Party, who shot back to prominence this year when he became the first “scout” to hold talks with political leaders about possible coalitions.
Wilders has called Plasterk a “creative spirit” with political experience but who is also distanced enough from the current political scene.
"If you want a government to succeed, you need a prime minister that unites,” said Pieter Omtzigt, leader of the centrist New Social Contract party. Outgoing Prime Minister Rutte's center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the populist Farmer Citizen Movement are also in the coalition deal.
Wilders’ Party for Freedom won 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of the Dutch parliament, and the four parties combined hold a comfortable majority of 88 seats.
After two decades in the opposition, Wilders seemed to have a shot at leading a nation that long prided itself on its tolerant society, but he has stepped aside in the interests of pushing through most of his agenda.
From Finland to Croatia, hard-line right parties are part of European governing coalitions, and hard right or populist prime ministers are leading Hungary, Slovakia and Italy.
Dutch parties reach deal to form government
Richard CARTER
Wed, May 15, 2024
Wilders called it a historic day (Sem van der Wal)
Six months after Geert Wilders won a stunning election victory, squabbling politicians finally clinched an agreement Wednesday on a coalition government, said the Dutch far-right leader, who will not be prime minister.
"We have a negotiators' agreement," said Wilders, who had reluctantly agreed to give up his dream of running the European Union's fifth-largest economy amid widespread unease over his anti-Islam, anti-European views.
It was not immediately clear who would be prime minister to lead the right-wing coalition government and replace Mark Rutte, who is almost certain to be tapped as the new NATO secretary general.
"Discussions over the prime minister will be held at a later time," Wilders told reporters.
However, the main contender looks to be former education and interior minister Ronald Plasterk, who also played a key role in overseeing the initial talks.
Later on Wednesday, MPs for the four parties all gave their approval to the deal, the details of which were not immediately available.
In March, the four parties agreed to aim for a partially technocratic government made up of 50 percent politicians and 50 percent from outside politics.
The last time the Netherlands had such an "expert" government was in 1918 and it is not clear how it will work more than 100 years later.
After marathon talks on Tuesday, Wilders said it would be a "historic day" if his far-right PVV Freedom Party took part in a Dutch government for the first time.
The far-right has gained in elections across Europe but has struggled to translate votes into power as other parties refuse to work with them.
"It's a worrisome day. We now have a radical right-wing party under Wilders that finds itself at the centre of power in the Netherlands," said opposition leader Frans Timmermans from the Greens-Left alliance.
- 'A bit longer' -
Wilders, sometimes nicknamed the "Dutch Trump", has softened some of his policy positions but his election manifesto still called for a ban on the Koran and mosques.
After winning the largest share of the vote in the elections, Wilders was primed to be the country's first far-right PM but at least one of his coalition partners threatened to torpedo a deal in that case.
"Do not forget: I will become prime minister of the Netherlands one day. With the support of even more Dutch," Wilders said after reluctantly stepping aside.
"If not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. Because the voices of millions of Dutch will be heard."
The coalition talks -- between Wilders' PVV, farmers party BBB, the liberal VVD and new anti-corruption party NSC -- have been fractious, not helped by social media sniping from all sides.
In February, NSC head Pieter Omtzigt abruptly stormed out of the talks, ostensibly over disagreements over public finances but he was also known to have major concerns about Wilders' more extreme policies.
Asked why it had taken nearly six months to form a government, Omtzigt smiled and said: "Well, it's a bit the story of the forming of this government."
"Every phase took just a bit longer than we thought, but that's normal."
It has become something of a tradition for Dutch governments to take a long time forming.
The last Rutte government took 271 days to take shape.
jhe-ric/gv
Explainer-How will Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders form a government?
Reuters
Wed, May 15, 2024
Dutch politicians meet after election to start coalition talks
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Netherlands was set to have its most right-wing government in recent history after anti-immigration populist Geert Wilders said he was close to working out a deal with coalition partners.
WHAT WILL THE NEW PROPOSED GOVERNMENT LOOK LIKE?
Wilders' nationalist PVV party, the clear winner of the Nov. 22 election, will form a coalition with outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right VVD, the new centrist NSC and the farmers protest upstart BBB.
The Netherlands is usually governed by coalitions that nail down their plans in detailed government pacts, but this time parties said they would aim for a broad agreement and a government of technocrats with looser ties to parliament.
This would involve a cabinet of political veterans and outside experts, who would have to seek majorities for their policy proposals. Those positions need to be agreed upon by all parties, which could prove difficult.
WHO WILL LEAD IT?
Talks have been strained from the start as the VVD and NSC remained reluctant to work with Wilders, who called for shutting down mosques and banning the Koran in the Netherlands.
In an effort to overcome this reluctance, Wilders toned down parts of his anti-EU and anti-Islam rhetoric and said he was ready to forego the role of prime minister, traditionally filled by the leader of the largest party.
Wilders could announce his candidate for the top job on Wednesday.
Even without a direct government position, however, the always outspoken leader is still set to have a large influence over policies.
Wilders regularly uses his X account with 1.4 million followers to lash out against political opponents, migrants and mainstream media and has said he won't change his style once in government.
CAN WE EXPECT MAJOR POLICY SHIFTS?
Not many details of the government pact have leaked, but it is clear the coalition will aim to severely limit immigration.
A draft page of the pact photographed and published by Dutch media last week showed the parties aimed for the "strictest-ever rules for admitting asylum seekers".
Wilders also made promises of lavish spending on healthcare and a lowering of the retirement age, but budget constraints make it unlikely the other parties will all support these plans.
Economic experts, including the Dutch central bank, have warned the new coalition would have to find around 17 billion euros ($18.4 billion) in structural spending cuts to keep government finances in check.
Wilders has dropped his resistance to all weapon deliveries to Ukraine, and is also no longer calling for a Dutch exit from the EU.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The four prospective government parties planned to finalise their deal on Wednesday, after which they will report to parliament.
The candidate prime minister will then likely be tasked with filling the rest of the government positions, with candidates supplied by the four parties, in a process which is likely to take weeks, NSC-leader Pieter Omtzigt said.
($1 = 0.9235 euros)
(Reporting by Bart Meijer and Anthony Deutsch: Editing by Nick Macfie)
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