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Dutch Government Falls After Far Right Quit Coalition

Dutch Government Falls After Far Right Quit Coalition

Bloomberg2 days ago

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he would offer his resignation while continuing in a caretaker government, setting the stage for a likely snap election. It comes after far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders pulled his Freedom Party out of the coalition.
Wilders left over the refusal of his three coalition partners to agree to his plans to curb migration, which included closing the border to asylum seekers, temporarily halting family reunification and returning asylum seekers to Syria. Migration has become a leading issue for Dutch voters, fueled by one of Europe's worst housing crises and rising costs of living.

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King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands Forced to Cut State Visit Short Due to 'Situation' at Home
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King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands Forced to Cut State Visit Short Due to 'Situation' at Home

Dutch King Willem-Alexander has cut his planned visit to the Czech Republic short after his country's government collapsed The Royal House of the Netherlands announced that the King would be returning home early because of "the political situation that has arisen in the Netherlands," but said the Queen would stay a second day The King's quick departure was prompted by populist Geert Wilders' withdrawal of his party from the ruling coalition over the Dutch government's asylum policyKing Willem-Alexander left his visit to the Czech Republic early on Wednesday, June 4, citing "the political situation that has arisen in the Netherlands." A statement shared on Tuesday, June 3, by the Royal House of the Netherlands said the King would return home after the first day of his visit to the Czech Republic, where he was joined by his wife, Queen Máxima. The statement referenced the collapse of the Dutch government, which was prompted by populist Geert Wilders' withdrawal of his party from the ruling coalition, per The New York Times. Wilders, a member of the Netherlands House of Representatives, pulled his party, known as the Party for Freedom (PVV), from the coalition "over a dispute about migration policy," the Times reported. The Royal House of the Netherlands said the King was retuning home after PVV's resignation, but noted that the Queen would remain in the Czech Republic for the second day of the visit as planned. "After the resignation of a government it is customary for the King to consult with his permanent advisers: the vice president of the Council of State and the presidents of the Senate and the House of Representatives," the statement read. PVV left the government in The Hague over a dispute about the Dutch government's asylum policies, according to Politico. On the afternoon of June 3, Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he would give the government's resignation to the King after PVV's withdrawal. Although PVV is stepping away, Schoof and other members of the government will oversee the country in a "caretaker capacity" until new leaders are elected, Politico reports. At the start of their visit to the Czech Republic, the King and Queen were greeted by President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva Pavlová at the Presidential Palace in Prague, according to Hello!. While attending a state banquet during their visit, the Dutch royals gave President Pavel and his wife the Order of the Dutch Lion and the Order of the Royal Household. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! In a statement posted to X on June 4, the president said The Netherlands was the Czech Republic's "stable partner" and the country's "largest foreign investor." "Our joint efforts in support of Ukraine are crucial for the security and resilience of Europe," he wrote. "We are also linked by historical figures such as Jan Amos Komenský and Minister Max van der Stoel, who supported Czech anti-communist dissent." Read the original article on People

Dutch government in turmoil: What to know
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The governing coalition in the Netherlands collapsed Tuesday after Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders withdrew his populist Party for Freedom (PVV)'s ministers — escalating an ongoing dispute over the country's immigration and asylum policies. 'I worked hard for 25 years to establish the PVV and make it a major party, so I'm not standing here as someone who had a good day today,' Wilders told Dutch news outlet GeenStijl in a translated interview late Tuesday. 'But it is the best choice, because I'm here for the Dutch, and I also hope that the Dutch people understand why I did this.' The Netherlands will now have a temporary caretaker government, which is expected to be in place when The Hauge hosts the NATO summit in three weeks. Wilders, 61, has long voiced anti-immigration and particularly anti-Muslim positions. Muslims make up about 5 percent of the nearly 18 million people in the Netherlands. The PVV, which has called for banning the Quran and shuttering mosques, won the largest number of seats in the 150-member Dutch Parliament in a November 2023 snap election amid growing concerns about migration. Wilders, who has called for banning asylum-seekers, cited inaction from other parties on tougher immigration policies for the abrupt withdrawal Tuesday. 'We voted for the PVV by 2.5 million people to achieve the strictest asylum policy ever,' he said in the GeenStijl interview. 'These are measures that are desperately needed and that are definitely not in the government's plans.' Prime Minister Dick Schoof, an independent who has been leading the government for less than a year, called the PVV's withdrawal and ensuing government collapse 'unnecessary and irresponsible' in a statement after Wilders's unexpected announcement. 'For many months the government has worked hard to implement (an agreement), but if one party lacks the will to continue, it isn't possible to keep working together,' Schoof wrote. But Wilders accused the opposing parties of stalling and highlighted asylum approaches in neighboring countries such as Germany that had taken place in the meantime. 'If we had not done this, if we had continued while all our neighboring countries were introducing stricter measures, which would make people come to the Netherlands more … where would you go as an asylum-seeker? You would come to us sooner,' the far-right leader said. 'If we had continued with this, then there would hardly have been anything left of the Netherlands.' He also stressed his message with multiple posts on the social platform X, highlighting crime and his calls for asylum restrictions. 'We had no choice. I promised the voter the strictest asylum policy ever, but that was not granted to you,' he said in one post translated from Dutch. The Dutch government will be run under a restricted 'caretaker administration' for several months until elections can be held for a formal overhaul. Leaders have called for elections to take place as soon as possible, but it's unlikely they will happen before October. Schoof plans to remain in the caretaker government until the elections, he said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to reporters during Tuesday's press briefing that President Trump plans to attend the NATO summit scheduled later this month in The Hague. The formation of a caretaker government and restrictions it faces means the Netherlands won't be able to formally address Trump's calls for other NATO countries to increase their defense spending ahead of the summit. The country currently spends about 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense — well below the 5 percent Trump has advocated for across-the-board. Wilders has been nicknamed the 'Dutch Trump,' and many supporters of the U.S. president have backed his populism and hard-line immigration views. Meanwhile, Trump has been at odds with European allies over Ukraine's future amid its ongoing war with Russia and the Ukrainian government's eyes on joining NATO. Trump also has rankled NATO allies with aggressive suggestions about taking over Greenland and pursuing Canada to become the U.S.'s 51st state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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