Geert Wilders, the Dutch far-right leader, whose Party for Freedom (PVV) won last November’s elections in the Netherlands, has resigned from being prime minister. He has not achieved the unanimous support of the heads of the other three parties with which he has been trying to agree on a coalition for four months. His decision allows us to move forward with negotiations that, at this moment, are on the way to giving birth to a Government with a technocratic tinge, with ministers and secretaries of State coming from outside politics, although they may have party cards. Under this formula, Wilders would remain head of his parliamentary group. The election of the prime minister would be agreed between the negotiating parties.
The far-right leader, very fond of using his X account, has announced his step back with a message halfway between resignation and national pride. “I can only be a minister if all the parties in the coalition support him. It has not been like that,” he says. Then he adds that he wants a right-wing Executive, “with less asylum and immigration,” and ends with an ode to the country he wanted to govern. “The Dutch come first. The love for my country and my voters is great and more important than my own position. I love the Netherlands,” he says.
The other three parties in contention for the new Government are the right-wing liberals (VVD), New Social Contract (NSC) and the Peasant-Citizen Movement (BBB). If a definitive coalition agreement is reached, its leaders are willing to stay, like Wilders, in their seats and leading their respective groups in Congress.
The PVV obtained 37 seats in the last 2023 elections, turning Dutch politics upside down. Wilders had 24 seats in 2010, becoming the second national force, but has not managed to come to power due to the cordon sanitaire formed by the rest of the forces to prevent it. Nobody wanted to collaborate with him. Once he won the elections, it was his responsibility to lead the negotiations for a new coalition and the process is not being easy.
At the beginning of February, the former Christian Democrat Pieter Omtzigt, leader of the NSC, a new party, withdrew from the first round of contacts because he did not trust that Wilders would respect the Constitution. The far-right leader tempered his stance against Islam — although he did not modify the electoral program, which was still posted on his website — and Omtzigt ended up returning to the table.
The resignation of the far-right, and the willingness of the other three parties to continue negotiating if he is not prime minister, made way this Thursday for the report of former social democratic senator Kim Putters, who has mediated the talks with these parties. Putters proposes a “programmatic Cabinet”, based on “collaboration agreements between the parties, and if possible with other formations as well, to be able to develop a government program with concrete measures.” Once that moment arrives, we will be able to talk about appointments and positions “with names from inside and outside politics,” he said. In his opinion, the best thing would be for half of the future ministers of the new Executive “to have no ties to the negotiating groups.” The essential thing is that “there is sufficient trust between these four groups,” he assured.
If a “programmatic Cabinet” is agreed upon, without the participation of party leaders, Congress would have a greater role during the legislature, and it would be necessary to reach specific agreements on issues of public finances, migration and the international role of the Netherlands. It is not clear who will be appointed the new prime minister, a joint decision between negotiators. Wilders’ vote will, however, be decisive for that appointment. “It’s good that we look each other in the eye and we can debate in peace,” Omtzigt said, shortly before Wilders announced his step aside.
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