As of: February 7, 2024, 7:47 a.m
By: Bedrettin Bölükbasi
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Dutch parties close the doors to forming a coalition with the PVV.
© IMAGO/ANP/Remko de Waal
Coalition talks have been going on in the Netherlands for weeks.
However, negotiations for a government under Wilders have now failed.
Amsterdam – In the Netherlands, an important party has withdrawn from coalition negotiations for a government under right-wing populist Geert Wilders.
The New Social Contract (NSC) party said on Tuesday (February 6) that it was “done” with this round of coalition talks due to disagreements over public finances.
This has made it impossible for Wilders to gain a majority in government.
Wilders' coalition dreams shattered: NSC withdraws from talks
In a letter to its party members, Pieter Omtzigt's NSC says it will continue to work “constructively” to form a government.
This could, for example, be “constructive support for a minority government,” it said.
On the online service X, formerly Twitter, Wilders described the NSC's withdrawal from the talks as "incredibly disappointing".
“The Netherlands wants this government and now Pieter Omtzigt is throwing in the towel, even though we were still talking until today,” he added and also wrote: “I don’t understand that at all.”
Wilder's right-wing populist PVV won the early parliamentary elections in the Netherlands in November.
As a government alliance, Wilders aimed for a four-party coalition with the VVD of the previous head of government Mark Rutte, the New Social Contract (NSC) party and the farmers' party BBB.
However, without the NSC and its 20 of 150 parliamentary seats, he has no chance of forming a majority government.
Formation of government with Wilders failed: Will there be a minority government?
Wilders' election victory was tantamount to a political earthquake for the Netherlands.
The right-wing populist is sometimes compared to former US President Donald Trump because of his violent polemics against immigrants and Muslims.
His party's election program called for, among other things, a ban on mosques and referendums on the Netherlands leaving the EU and an end to arms deliveries to Ukraine.
It is unclear how the formation of a government will continue.
The three remaining right-wing parties do not have a majority in parliament.
NSC parliamentary group leader Omtzigt had constitutional concerns about cooperation even before the talks began.
The VVD has so far only been willing to tolerate a minority government led by Wilders without involving its own ministers.
(bb/dpa/AFP)