Far-right political group led by Wilders withdraws from coalition, prompting Prime Minister Schoof's resignation.
In a surprising turn of events, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof tendered his resignation following the unexpected withdrawal of the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, from the governing coalition. This coalition, which held a majority and was made up of four right-wing parties, faltered over disagreements regarding new asylum policies. Consequently, the stage is set for early elections.
At a press conference following a nearly two-hour council of ministers meeting, Schoof expressed his regret over Wilders' resignation, labeling it as "unnecessary and irresponsible." In the interim, Schoof, accompanied by ministers from the liberal VVD, the Christian democrat NSC, and the farmers' party BBB, will head a caretaker government. Yet, it remains uncertain who will temporarily fill the five ministries vacated by PVV ministers.
Wilders: "I had no choice but to pull the plug on the Government"
Wilders contends that his coalition partners wouldn't back his proposals to curb asylum seekers from entering his country, a stance he vehemently advocated for last week. "There are no signatures under our asylum plans. The PVV is leaving the coalition," Wilders asserted on X.
He further explained, "I proposed a plan to close the borders to asylum seekers, expel them, and shut down reception centers. I demanded that the coalition partners sign it, and they refused. I had no choice but to withdraw my support from this government." In the upcoming elections, he plans to lead the PVV and harbors dreams of becoming the next prime minister.
The 2023 elections marked the first triumph of the far-right in the Netherlands since 1945, with Wilders winning hearts through his pledge to halt what he termed as the "immigration tsunami."
Upon Schoof's formal resignation to King Willem-Alexander, new elections are expected to be called. It's unlikely they will take place before mid-October, due to other scheduled elections first.
Migration, Wilders' main campaign promise
True to his campaign promise, Wilders' party has been trying to slow immigration, which they deem as "unsustainable." On Monday, the far-right unveiled a ten-point plan featuring measures such as closing borders to asylum seekers and the return of Syrian residents with temporary residence permits. They threatened to disband the government "if it wasn't possible to tighten the country's immigration policy even further within a few weeks."
In November, the government announced a series of "emergency measures" to alleviate pressure on its asylum system. These included reintroducing border controls. Thus, the country would resume border checks with Germany and Belgium on people in irregular situations and asylum seekers who had presented their applications in other European countries.
However, Wilders wasn't satisfied with this measure. The politician had already forewarned that there was a "serious problem" for his party and the situation "didn't look good". On Sunday, he added more pressure on his partners by stating on X that he would leave the coalition if the other groups supported "the majority" of his proposals.
Following an urgent meeting the day before with the leaders of the other three right-wing parties, Wilders voiced his disapproval of his partners and warned that his party might take this decision if it didn't have the support of the liberals VVD, the Christian Democrats NSC, and the farmers' party BBB.
Conversations lasted less than an hour, and his three partners pledged they wouldn't oppose the plans to restrict asylum. However, they passed the responsibility of implementing these measures to the Minister of Asylum and Migration, the far-right Marjolein Faber.
In the morning of Tuesday, at 09.00, the four partners reconvened for a second round, but 15 minutes later, Wilders announced on X that the PVV would step back in the coalition. The reactions of his partners have been mostly "incomprehensible" and "irresponsible."
- The unresolved issue of new asylum policies, a key point for Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV), has been a significant factor leading to the coalition's collapse, setting the stage for early elections.
- Geert Wilders, in his interview on X, expressed that he had no choice but to pull the plug on the Government due to the refusal of his coalition partners to support his proposals to curb asylum migration.
- The prospective caretaker government, headed by Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, will grapple with the task of filling the five ministries vacated by PVV ministers, with uncertainty looming over this matter.
- The ten-point plan unveiled by Wilders' party includes measures such as closing borders to asylum seekers and the return of Syrian residents with temporary residence permits, reflecting their ongoing efforts to slow immigration and tighten the country's immigration policy.
