Wilders isolated as Dutch election sniping starts
The chances of Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders becoming prime minister dropped on Tuesday after a key potential coalition party ruled out working with him, calling him an "incredibly unreliable partner".
Wilders stunned the political establishment in the Netherlands last week by bringing down a fragile four-way governing coalition in a row over immigration.
Fresh elections are now set for October 29. Wilders is hoping to repeat his shock success from November 2023, when his far-right Freedom Party (PVV) came out on top.
But the fragmented nature of Dutch politics means parties need to find two or even three coalition partners to form a government.
Wilders's largest coalition partner after the November vote was the liberal VVD but party leader Dilan Yesilgoz launched a fierce broadside against her former colleague.
"This country needs mature leadership. We will no longer work with him," Yesilgoz said in an interview with De Telegraaf daily.
"He puts his personal self-interest above the national interest. He will never take responsibility for the country," added Yesilgoz.
Latest opinion polls suggest a close three-way race between the PVV, the VVD and a Green/Left grouping led by former European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans.
Wilders lashed out on X saying that Yesilgoz "wanted to destroy the Netherlands, along with the left".
"That means even more asylum seekers and Islam," he claimed.
De Telegraaf wrote: "Now that the VVD is also slamming shut the door, a government with Wilders's party is moving further out of sight."
"Looking at the current polls, there are too few parties available to form a majority cabinet that have not previously declared the PVV taboo."
- 'Squandered his chance' -
Wilders abruptly pulled his PVV out of the coalition on Wednesday, saying the government was too slow to enact the "strictest-ever" asylum policy that was agreed after the elections.
He came up with his own 10-point plan, which included closing borders to asylum seekers, and deporting dual nationals convicted of a crime.
A crisis meeting between the leaders of the four parties broke up in acrimony after just minutes, as Wilders pulled the plug.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he would stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet could be formed.
The government collapse sparked political chaos in the European Union's fifth-largest economy.
It came as the Netherlands prepares to host a summit of NATO leaders later this month.
Yesilgoz noted that Wilders had done something similar before, when he pulled out of a deal with then prime minister Mark Rutte in 2012 over austerity measures.
"In 2012, he walked out, while our country needed stability and leadership amid an economic crisis.
"Thirteen years later, little has changed," she wrote to VVD members. "It is still his style to walk out like a coward."
"As far as I am concerned, Geert Wilders has excluded himself from government. He has once again squandered his chance and once again let his voters down," Yesilgoz added.
However, she hit back at suggestions that shunning Wilders meant joining forces with Timmermans and his left-wing grouping.
"The commitment of the left is miles away from what the Netherlands needs now. The VVD envisions a completely different Netherlands," she said.
ric/gil
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