The Tweede Kamer will hold a parliamentary debate on Thursday morning with Rob Jetten regarding a shadow deal struck between D66, CDA, Pro, and Volt, which has left right-wing parties deeply disappointed.
Wednesday’s surprise agreement bypasses the VVD, prompting sharp warnings from political leaders across the right flank of the Dutch parliament. PVV leader Geert Wilders questioned the viability of the current administration following the maneuver.
“The question is: do we have a cabinet anymore?” Geert Wilders said on Wednesday afternoon after learning that D66 and CDA engineered a left-leaning arrangement without the VVD, De Telegraaf reported.
Joost Eerdmans of JA21 echoed those concerns regarding the coalition dynamics. “It is clear that D66 and CDA want to go left and have closed the door to the right,” Joost Eerdmans told De Telegraaf, adding that the path over the right seems closed and expressing doubt that the VVD can accept the terms.
Henk Vermeer of the BBB noted the surprise surrounding the timing, coming just a day after substantive talks on nitrogen policy. Chris Stoffer of the SGP joined opposing voices in criticizing the trajectory for Dutch citizens and small businesses.
As a direct consequence of the shadow deal, the SGP, BBB, and JA21 confirmed plans to vote against the upcoming tax plan. Gidi Markuszower of Groep Markuszower expressed similar skepticism over the likelihood of his group supporting the fiscal package.
To address the political fallout in The Hague, Prime Minister Jetten cancelled a scheduled European Union engagement in Dublin, Ireland. Thursday marks a summit of the European Political Community, followed on Friday by an informal EU top focused on artificial intelligence and financial backing for Ukraine.
