Now that attempts to include the far right leader Geert Wilders in a coalition government have failed, the negotiations to forge a new coalition have moved on. The next option is includes no fewer than four political parties.
As these parties span both the right and left of the political spectrum, the process is likely to be long and complex.*
The Labour Party, PvdA, is one of the group of four. Asked if the negotiations would be difficult, its leader Job Cohen said:
“That could be the case. This is true. We differ on a number of points and that means that we will have to really get to the bottom of these points together.”
National unity
Another option for the coalition is the so-called government of national unity - this includes the centre-right liberal VVD, the Christian Democrat CDA and the Labour Party, PvdA.
At this stage the leaders of the parties have been reluctant to talk about this as a realistic option, as it includes the Labour Party and the Christian Democrats and both belonged to the last government which collapsed in disarray.
A week lost
As ever, bridging differences is key. It is not unusual for coalition forming in the Netherlands to take weeks or even months – but even seasoned observers of Dutch politics say the current situation is extremely complex.
And given the current economic crisis voices of concern are being raised that a week of negotiations after the 9 June election has been lost trying to form a coalition with Geert Wilders that never had enough political support.
The free-market liberal VVD party, the winner of last week’s parliamentary election, was the only party that could contemplate governing with Geert Wilders and his anti-immigrant Freedom Party. The VVD agrees with the intent of some of the Freedom Party’s proposals for immigration and integration, if not the tone with which Geert Wilders presents them.
Not interested
But in the case of these coalition talks, it would have taken three to tango, as Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party and VVD together could not form a majority. And the third party, the Christian Democrat CDA, was not interested.
Frits Korthals Altes is a senior member of the VVD. He helped put together the coalition the last time the VVD governed, back in 2003. He agrees that VVD leader Mark Rutte had to try to form a coalition with the Freedom Party, in keeping with the tradition that the biggest winner deserves to go first.
But Mr Korthals Altes does not understand why the talks went on for days with just two of the parties. “You have to sit down with three parties, if you want to govern with three parties. With just two, that was kind of silly.”
Christian Democrats insulted
Senior Christian Democrat Senator Hans Hillen agrees that Mr Wilders deserved to be taken seriously. Nevertheless, he is not surprised that the new CDA leader Maxime Verhagen was reluctant to join the coalition talks. He points out that in “the past four years, Wilders has constantly said that we were nuts, that our policy didn’t make sense, that we were retarded, that we had had too much to drink, that we were dumb. He used the vilest terms for the CDA. You can’t expect that when, by chance, the Freedom Party and the VVD need the CDA to form a majority that we’re going to clap our hands with joy that we get to join in.”
The problems the CDA would have faced if it had governed with the Freedom party were more fundamental. In contrast to the VVD, the CDA is principally at odds with Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam, anti-immigrant policies. Forming a coalition with the Freedom Party would have led to an identity crisis for the Christian Democrats.
Potent force
The political distance between Geert Wilders and the other parties is much bigger than between the VVD and CDA so he is now destined for the opposition benches.
But the party with its 25 seats still forms a considerable block in the 150 seat parliament and although the PVV will not make it into government they will remain a potent force in Dutch politics.
* The parties in the possible coalition – an option known as purple plus are central liberal D66, social democrat labour PvdA, central right liberals VVD, and Green Left.
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It saddens me to see the vile and racist Wilders make significant gains in the best country in Europe. In my many trips to the Netherlands, I have found the people to be pleasant, industrious and so proud of their beacon of European culture. I have also found these same people to be profoundly ashamed of the shameful Wilders and hopeful that the rest of the world does not lump all Dutch thought with this man.
Historically, economic hard times have given rise to radical, extremist thought and no one is more aware of the harm and hate this thought can do to a country than the proud Dutch.
I am comforted in the knowledge that there is a ceiling of support for this misguided thought and hopefully The Netherlands has reached this ceiling.
hope you are saying the same thing when your country is overrun by islam and you aren't free to speak freely in public anymore. and if you are a woman, you will become nothing more than a dog when islam owns your country. then i wonder if you will regret spitting on the man who is trying to stand up for your freedoms that you seem to take for granted.
The Dutch political snouts in trough are of course right
Dutch should not be allowed to vote
The massive support vote for the "Freedom Party" should be ignored
Holland needs to continue it's billion deficit to fund Islamic immigrants
With the current results, no coalition of any kind will be very likely to last longer than a year. All parties must know this and will use whatever coalition, not for governing but for political gains or so they hope, but I bet you that the voters will turn against them even more so with the next elections than they did now. The PVV only stands to win if they don't get to govern now.
Good luck to the people in the NL.
With the current results, no coalition of any kind will be very likely to last longer than a year. All parties must know this and will use whatever coalition, not for governing but for political gains or so they hope, but I bet you that the voters will turn against them even more so with the next elections than they did now. The PVV only stands to win if they don't get to govern now.
Good luck to the people in the NL.
Good riddance! We don't need in the government a mad and silly cock crowing on his stinking dunghill.
There is NO "islamification" of the Netherlands or Europe, for that matter - and the Dutch people know this.
The reality is that the PVV is only about persecuting Muslims - and nothing else - and is not comparable with Dutch democracy and society. The PVV is only compatible with the English Defense League in the UK.
Good for the Dutch people in defending their freedom and rejecting the politics of exclusion!
There is NO "islamification" of the Netherlands or Europe, for that matter - and the Dutch people know this.
The reality is that the PVV is only about persecuting Muslims - and nothing else - and is not comparable with Dutch democracy and society. The PVV is only compatible with the English Defense League in the UK.
Good for the Dutch people in defending their freedom and rejecting the politics of exclusion!
We have to remember that the PVV was the third largest party and not the winner of the elections. For their supporters to think they have the right to govern shows how full of themselves they are. For those who talk of a privileged religion what exactly do they mean? Which privileges specifically do they enjoy over and above other religions? Some of us voted for the CDA, SP, Groen Links, D66 and PvdA so I am at a loss as to what is mean't by their own selfish interests. Does SandraV think that "voters" are only those who voted for PVV? What about the voters who voted for other parties? I will say it again the PVV is reminiscent of the Third Reich and Geert Wilders is the blond Hitler. The PVV youth is exactly the same as the Hitler youth and Wilders populism is based on Mein Kampf. Let us remember Hitler was a great orator who rose during a time of economic difficulty. He succeeded by lying to disillusioned youth and a desperate nation that their troubles were caused by Jews. He used the same arguments used by PVV supporters today that Jews enjoyed special privileges and were the cause of the depression and that their ways were culturally and ideologically incompatible with German culture. History has a tendency of repeating itself. Hence I state again Wilders is the beginning of a new holocaust this time aimed at muslims. I say this as a Christian who can see through the lies of the PVV. The fact that Wilders wants to withdraw from international treaties on human rights and even the EU shows to what extremes this man is willing to go.
Anyone who voted PVV with the 'pie in the sky" expectations that Geert and the party would be seriously taken into consideration for coalition talks is in dire need of a reality check. The PVV is an ideological entity with no intent of co-operation with anyone, as Geert has demonstrated many times in the past. Playing Geert's game of fabricating scapegoats and conspiracy theories is the true litmus test of delusional thinking amongst Geert's followers. Those who voted for the PVV expecting it to be the political tail wagging the dog in the Dutch government wasted their vote, 1.5 million times over!!
Oh you poor deluded fool, wake up and smell the coffee, how can you even comment on the state of Dutch politics. Europe is facing a crisis from the marching scourge of Islam. . . You want to be very careful, Canada is rolling over for Islam in a big way. . . In 10 years time when your country is full of mosques and your government is being slowly swallowed by Islamic politicians screaming for sharia law to be implemented, you will be powerless to do anything because of the sheer number of muslim immigrants voting. . . People voted for Wilders' PVV because they are the last hope of the people of the Netherlands. You haven't a clue what you are talking about.
People voted for the PVV because they wanted them to win the election, not so they could play a part in some sort of uneasy coalition. Anyone that would vote on the coalition "kingmaker" theory is a fool. . .
Geert Wilders WILL govern Holland, maybe not this election, but soon. . . PVV is the last resort to save the Netherlands from becoming Islamised, and as more people realise this I can only see his vote increasing exponentially over the next few years. Look at Europe with trepidation, because it's coming your way real soon. . .
I am not Dutch, I am English, but in England we are hoping for the success of Wilders' party and hope it is a sign and an inspiration to the rest of Europe.
I guess her highness the queen and the rest of the candidates are negotiating what the rest of the voters wanted, an agenda which ensures prosperity and integration while fostering real emancipation and freedom. Indeed, This is not about the 1.5 Million PVV voters, but for the account of the vast majority of Dutch voters, all of those who chose NOT to vote for Wilders. Much success in the coming negotiations!
So they decided to continue behaving like there were no problem with a certain privileged religious group and to ignore the votes of 1.5 million people. The PVV will rise again in the opposition and that will ensure their win in the next election after which the queen will have no other choice than mandate Wilders to govern.
What a bunch of sour grapes and sore losers in the CDA partij! Not only were they the biggest losers, but they are vindictive too and deliberately sabotage PVV from joining a coailition to govern this country, CDA does this against the voters will! We voted for PVV and as usual, CDA only thinks of their own self interest and not the voters!
I didn't vote for the PVV. Neither did millions of others. Who's selfish?
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