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Washington Post
3 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Dutch government faces collapse as Wilders threatens to exit coalition
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Netherlands' 11-month-old coalition government appeared close to collapse Monday after far-right leader Geert Wilders said he would 'sleep on' a decision on whether to pull out of the fragile four-party pact. Last week, Wilders demanded the government sign on to a 10-point plan that aims to radically slash migration, including using the army to guard land borders and turning away all asylum-seekers. He said that if immigration policy is not toughened up, his party 'is out of the Cabinet.' The government crisis comes just three weeks before the Netherlands is scheduled to host a summit of NATO leaders in The Hague. After talks Monday night with the leaders of the three other parties that make up the ruling coalition, Wilders told reporters 'we will meet each other tomorrow, but it doesn't look good.' Wilders has built his political career on calling for hard-line policies against Islam and migration in the Netherlands. Long in opposition, his party won elections in November 2023 and is the largest in the coalition. Now he says his patience has run out after months of talks and little action from the coalition to crack down on migration. After Monday's meeting, Wilders' three coalition partners told him to come up with concrete proposals for changes to the current agreement and expressed frustration at his repeated threats to bring down the government. 'If your goal is to blow things up, just say so,' Dilan Yesilgöz, leader of the right-wing People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, told reporters after the hour-long meeting. According to the leader of the populist Farmers Citizens Movement party Caroline van der Plas, 'The Netherlands does not like quitters.' In February, Wilders also threatened to back out of the coalition if a pair of bills limiting asylum didn't pass, but he ultimately backed down. Wilders' latest threat comes as conservative Karol Nawrocki was announced the winner of Poland's weekend presidential runoff election . The outcome suggests that Poland can be expected to take a more populist and nationalist path under its new president, who was backed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Straits Times
08-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
‘Are the walls lined with gold?': Thai MP questions extravagant cost of Parliament carpark
Ms Rukchanok Srinork drew stark comparisons with the cost of other substantial government buildings. PHOTO: THE NATION THAILAND/ASIA NEWS NETWORK BANGKOK - A Thai Member of Parliament has voiced strong concerns over the eye-watering budget allocated for a new carpark at the national assembly. Ms Rukchanok Srinork, a representative for the progressive People Party, took to social media to express her disbelief at the 4.6 billion baht (S$182 million) price tag, suggesting the cost was so inflated that one might expect the 'bricks to be made of gold' or the 'walls plastered with Vibranium'. Her outburst follows the revelation by fellow People MP and political development committee chair, Mr Parit Wacharasindhu, regarding the tendering process for the carpark's design and construction. While the initial design phase was budgeted at a more modest 104.5 million baht, the total estimated cost for the multi-storey carpark itself has ballooned to a staggering 4.588 billion baht. Ms Rukchanok drew stark comparisons with the cost of other substantial government buildings, noting that the 30-storey State Audit Office, 'with all its fancy bits', came in at 2.3 billion baht. She also pointed out that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission complex, including multiple buildings and two car parks, cost 2.6 billion baht. 'A car park for 4.6 billion baht?' she quipped in her online post. 'Are the bricks made of gold, or are the walls plastered with Vibranium?' Under Thai regulations, any government-funded project exceeding 1 billion baht requires Cabinet approval due to its significant impact on the national budget. Ms Rukchanok stated she would be watching closely to see if the new Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of the Pheua Thai party, would give the green light to such an expensive undertaking in the current economic climate. She further challenged the rationale behind the exorbitant expenditure, asking: 'Thai people, have a think about this information. This 4.6 billion baht parliament carpark project – who do you reckon they're really trying to make things easier for? The public or the construction blokes?' THE NATION THAILAND/ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
