Dutch far-right leader Wilders threatens to quit government coalition
FILE PHOTO: Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders speaks to media in The Hague, Netherlands after polls closed in an EU election on June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Lewis Macdonald/File Photo
AMSTERDAM - Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders threatened on Monday to topple the Netherlands' already fragile right-wing government, which he said did not back his ideas for stricter asylum policies.
Anti-Muslim populist Wilders, who won the most recent election in the Netherlands, last week demanded immediate support for his proposals to completely halt asylum migration, send Syrian refugees back to their home country and to close asylum shelters.
Coalition partners have not embraced his ideas, and have pointed out that it is up to the migration minister from Wilders' own party to work on specific proposals.
After meeting government party leaders on Monday evening, Wilders said this was not enough to secure his continued support for the coalition.
"We have a serious problem," he told reporters. "We will take it up again tomorrow morning, but it does not look good."
The coalition led by Wilders' PVV party has struggled to reach any consensus since its installation in July last year, and needs to tackle tough decisions in the coming months, including a possible historic increase in military spending to meet new NATO targets.
Recent polls have shown Wilders has lost support since joining government, putting his party roughly at par with the Labour/Green combination that is currently the second-largest in parliament. REUTERS
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