The Netherlands has inaugurated a new government with a different prime minister for the first time in 14 years. Dutch King Willem-Alexander swore in the new government, which took more than seven months to form after elections dominated by a far-right, anti-Islam party.
The new prime minister, Dick Schoof, a former head of the Dutch intelligence agency and counterterrorism office, signed the official royal decree at Huis Ten Bosch Palace. The 67-year-old Schoof was formally installed alongside 15 other ministers who make up the country’s right-leaning coalition.
The coalition comprises four parties: the anti-immigration party of Geert Wilders, outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, the populist Farmer Citizen Movement, and the centrist New Social Contract party.
The coalition agreement, titled 'Hope, courage and pride,' introduces strict measures on asylum-seekers, scraps family reunification for refugees, and aims to reduce the number of international students studying in the country.
Despite the far-right win in the elections, opposition from other coalition partners prevented Wilders from becoming the prime minister. The new government faces criticism for its anti-immigration policies, with protesters gathering in front of the palace during the swearing-in ceremony.
The new government plans to slash the country’s education budget by nearly 1 billion euros, prompting pushback from universities. Academics are voicing concerns about the impact of these proposed cuts on the quality of education.
The Netherlands is now led by a prime minister who is not aligned with a political party for the first time since World War II. The government ministers were sworn in according to the seniority of their departments, with one minister making her declaration in Frisian, the country's second official language alongside Dutch.
The new government will spend the summer finalizing the coalition agreement into a governing plan. The rise of anti-immigration, far-right views is not unique to the Netherlands, as seen in recent EU elections and upcoming French parliamentary elections.
