Dutch government collapses after Geert Wilders pulls his anti-Islam party out of coalition
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof has stepped down following the decision by far-right leader Geert Wilders to pull his anti-Islam Freedom Party (PVV) out of the ruling coalition.
The move has effectively collapsed the Netherlands' 11-month-old government and is expected to lead to snap elections.
The ruling coalition – made up of Wilders' PVV, the populist Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), the centrist New Social Contract (NSC), and the liberal-conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) – has been fragile since it was formed after the last elections. The four-party alliance struggled to find common ground, especially on the contentious issue of asylum and immigration policy.
On Tuesday morning, following a brief meeting of party leaders, Wilders announced that all PVV ministers would leave the government. 'I signed up for the toughest asylum policy, not the downfall of the Netherlands,' he told reporters, as per The Guardian. He also wrote on social media that 'since there had been no signoff on our asylum plans,' the PVV was 'leaving the coalition.'
Wilders had been pushing for the government to adopt a strict 10-point plan aimed at significantly reducing immigration. As per a report by The Guardian, experts had warned that many of these proposals were in direct conflict with European human rights law and the UN Refugee Convention.
In response, Prime Minister Schoof called an emergency cabinet meeting. With the PVV's departure, the three remaining parties could theoretically continue as a minority government, but analysts and opposition figures believe new elections are the only realistic outcome.
Frans Timmermans, leader of the opposition Labour/Green alliance and a former European Commission vice-president, said: 'I see no other way to form a stable government.'
Recent polling as per The Guardian, indicates that support for Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) has dropped significantly since its surprise election victory in November 2023. The party is now polling at around 20 per cent, roughly on par with the Labour/Green alliance, currently the second-largest bloc in the Dutch parliament.
This isn't the first time Wilders, has walked away from political power. After years on the opposition benches, he only managed to strike a coalition deal in 2023 by giving up his bid to become prime minister.
Back in 2010, Wilders also played a pivotal role in Dutch politics when he backed a minority government led by then-prime minister Mark Rutte. However, that support collapsed less than two years later following a row over austerity policies, leading him to withdraw from the arrangement.
The now-defunct coalition, which took nearly six months to negotiate, marked the first time the far-right PVV had entered government.
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