Labour Party (PvdA) leader Job Cohen says he will seek confrontation with Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party in the coming year.

“The sooner this cabinet falls, the better,” Mr Cohen said in national broadsheet De Telegraaf on Friday. The PvdA leader argues that the announced additional budget cuts heralds in “a new phase” which will force Wilders - whose party supports the minority VVD-Dhristian Democrat (CDA) government - to “choose between power and his supporters”.

"Wilders shouts to cover up", Mr Cohen told the paper. “He covers up what’s going on and all those things he should accept responsibility for." Cohen calls Wilders “a power-hungry politician to the core”.

According to Cohen, the PvdA "has had a difficult year". He claims this is mainly due to Labour Party support for the cabinet’s handling of the euro crisis and for the pensions agreement.

Geert Wilders reacted on Friday morning via Twitter saying: "Great, how funny." He claims Cohen “fears for his own position as leader of the Party of the Arabs” (pun on PvdA).

(gsh/hs)

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