Netherlands PM Dick Schoof resigns after far-right leader departs

7NEWS

2 days ago

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof says his coalition government will become a caretaker administration after far-right MP Geert Wilders pulled his ministers out of the cabinet.
In a day of political chaos in The Hague, Schoof will now let King Willem-Alexander know about the resignation of Party for Freedom members.
The caretaker government is expected to host a summit of leaders from the NATO military alliance in three weeks.
An election has not been confirmed but it is unlikely to be held before October.
Schoof, handpicked by Wilders a year ago to lead the government, said he repeatedly told coalition leaders that tearing down the government was 'unnecessary and irresponsible'.
'We are facing major challenges nationally and internationally and, more than ever, decisiveness is required for the safety of our resilience and the economy in a rapidly changing world,' Schoof said.
Wilders decision, announced on X on Tuesday, followed a brief meeting of leaders in parliament.
Wilders told reporters the coalition's failure to act on his desire for a clampdown on migration was the reason for withdrawing his ministers.
'The downfall of the Netherlands'
Wilders, whose Party for Freedom is still riding high in Dutch opinion polls, said, 'I signed up for the toughest asylum policy and not the downfall of the Netherlands'.
Coalition partners rejected that argument, saying they all support cracking down on migration.
Dilan Yesilgoz, leader of the conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, before the meeting said Schoof urged the leaders to act responsibly.
But minutes later, the meeting ended with Wilders' exit.
'I'm shocked,' Yesilgoz said, calling Wilders' decision 'super-irresponsible'.
After years in opposition, Wilders' party won the last election on pledges to slash migration.
He has grown increasingly frustrated at what he sees as the slow pace of the coalition's efforts to implement his plans.
Last week, Wilders demanded that coalition partners sign a 10-point plan aimed at slashing migration. This included the deployment of its army to protect borders and turn away asylum-seekers.
He warned that if the immigration policy wasn't tightened, his party was 'out of the cabinet'.
'Not putting the Netherlands first'
Caroline van der Plas, leader of the coalition's pro-agriculture right-wing Farmers Citizens Movement, said she was angry at Wilders' decision.
'He is not putting the Netherlands first, he is putting Geert Wilders first,' she told Dutch broadcaster NOS.
Nicolien van Vroonhoven, leader of the centre-right New Social Contract party that has taken a beating in polls since joining the coalition, said the government could continue without Wilders, saying a minority cabinet 'is definitely an option'.
But this now won't happen following Schoof's resignation.
Frans Timmermans, the former European Commission climate chief who now leads the main opposition in parliament, welcomed Wilders' decision.
He said he would not support a minority government and called for fresh elections as soon as possible.
'It's an opportunity for all democratic parties to rid ourselves of the extremes because it's clear that with the extremes you can't govern. When things get difficult, they run away,' he told the Associated Press.