“I might become prime minister only if ALL coalition parties agreed to it. This is not my case,” G. Wilders stated on the X social network.
“Love for my country and voters is greater and more important than my own position,” he added.
The announcement comes as a report on the Dutch coalition talks is eagerly awaited and there is speculation that a breakthrough might be reached, which might lead to the formation of a technocratic government.
Kim Putters, who is overseeing the talks, said that following two days of “good and intense” talks at a country estate, the warring parties were ready to take the next step.
Mr. Wilders wrote in X that he wanted a “right-wing cabinet […] fewer asylum seekers and immigration. The Dutch must come first.”
Party leaders have kept a hard line throughout the process, but public broadcaster NOS reported that a technocratic cabinet was the most likely outcome of Thursday’s report.
It is unclear exactly what form this might take, but four party leaders are expected to serve as members of parliament.
Media reports say that cabinet members will be appointed by the parties, but they may be drawn from ordinary party members or even non-party members.
Wilders and his far-right anti-Islam Freedom Party (PVV) won 37 seats in the 150-seat parliament, a surprise far-right surge that sent shockwaves across Europe and elsewhere.
Unlike, for example, the United Kingdom, France or the United States, the political system in the Netherlands is highly fragmented, with no single party strong enough to govern independently.
Therefore, G. Wilders wants to form a four-party coalition with outgoing Prime Minister Marko Rutte’s center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the pro-reform “New Social Deal” (NSC) party and the “Farmers and Citizens’ Movement” (BBB).
Pieter Omtzigt’s anti-corruption New Social Deal (NSC) party won 20 seats and became indispensable in any coalition.
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2024-04-11 14:18:35
