The Dutch parliament has appointed two new go-betweens to spearhead negotiations for the formation of the next ruling coalition. This development comes four months after the anti-immigration party led by Geert Wilders emerged victorious in a national election.
The newly appointed figures, economist and former lawmaker Elbert Dijkgraaf, and Richard van Zwol, a former senior civil servant and current member of a key government advisory panel, are set to lead the way in the upcoming phase of government talks.
Four parties, including Wilders' Party for Freedom, the center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the reformist New Social Contract, and the pro-agriculture populist Farmer People Movement, are aiming to establish a 'program Cabinet' comprising politicians and experts from outside the political sphere. Together, these parties hold 88 out of the 150 seats in the lower house of parliament.
During a parliamentary debate, Wilders expressed optimism about the negotiations, stating that discussions would focus on formulating policies to shape the new Cabinet. He projected that the negotiation process would span a maximum of eight weeks and emphasized the government's commitment to addressing the country's major challenges.
However, Pieter Omtzigt of the New Social Contract cautioned that the negotiations would be challenging. Despite his party's electoral success, Wilders acknowledged that he lacks the backing of his potential coalition partners to assume the role of prime minister.
While the populist far right has been gaining ground in Europe for years, Wilders' election triumph in November was a significant development that reverberated not only in the Netherlands but also internationally. Known for his controversial stances, including advocating for bans on mosques, Islamic schools, and the Quran, Wilders made concessions to his coalition partners in January by withdrawing proposed legislation to enforce these bans.
