The Dutch coalition talks between the free market liberals the VVD and the Christian Democrats (CDA) with the support of the Freedom Party (PVV) have broken down. At a press conference, Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders said he had withdrawn from the talks because "there was no guarantee there would have been a majority of 76 seats because of the three dissident Christian Democrat MPs." VVD leader Mark Rutte says he will now write a coalition document and see which parties are prepared to join him in government.

The news comes a day and a half after the Christian Democrats reached agreement to continue the negotiations, in spite of three members of the parliamentary party having serious reservations about joining a coalition supported by the Freedom Party.

The matter came to a head when Christian Democrat co-negotiator Ab Klink wrote to CDA MPs stating his opposition. As a result of the letter, the coalition formation was suspended while the Christian Democrats spent two days in heated discussions.

Eventually Ab Klink was replaced as negotiator, and the parliamentary party agreed to allow the negotiations to take their course. 

However, after Christian Democrat leader Maxime Verhagen met with the leaders of the VVD, Mark Rutte, and the Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, on Wednesday, the latter said they needed time to think.

Geert Wilders had demanded a declaration from the three dissident Christian Democrat MPs that they would accept the outcome of a CDA party congress as binding and that if they could still not support the coalition agreement, they would give up their parliamentary seats. In response, Maxime Verhagen said such a declaration would be impossible and unconstitutional as MPs have to be able to operate freely according to their conscience.

Mark Rutte says he was prepared to continue the coalition formation and did have faith in the Christian Democrat parliamentary party. He thinks it is a shame that the talks broke down since surveys had shown that a majority in the Netherlands wanted this right-wing government.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide