Latest news with #Wilders'
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Dutch government collapses after far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
The Dutch government collapsed today, most likely ushering in a snap election, after anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition, accusing other parties of failing to back his tougher immigration policies. But Prime Minister Dick Schoof, an independent, accused the political maverick of irresponsibility, and the other coalition parties denied failing to support Mr Wilders, saying they had been awaiting proposals from his PVV party's own migration minister. PVV ministers will quit the cabinet, leaving the others to continue as a caretaker administration until an election unlikely to be held before October. Frustration with migration and the high cost of living is boosting the far right and widening divisions in Europe, just as it needs unity to deal effectively with a hostile Russia and an unpredictable and combative US president in the form of Donald Trump. "I have told party leaders repeatedly in recent days that the collapse of the cabinet would be unnecessary and irresponsible," Mr Schoof said after an emergency cabinet meeting triggered by Mr Wilders' decision. "We are facing major challenges both nationally and internationally that require decisiveness from us," he added, before handing his resignation to King Willem-Alexander. The prospect of a new election is likely to delay a decision on boosting defence spending and means the Netherlands will have only a caretaker government when it hosts a summit of the transatlantic NATO alliance this month. Election may be months away Mr Wilders said he had no option but to quit the coalition. "I proposed a plan to close the borders for asylum seekers, to send them away, to shut asylum shelters. I demanded coalition partners sign up to that, which they didn't. That left me no choice but to withdraw my support for this government," he told reporters. "I signed up for the strictest asylum policies, not for the demise of the Netherlands." He said he would lead the PVV into a new election and hoped to be the next prime minister. An election is now likely at the end of October or in November, said political scientist Joep van Lit at Radboud University in Nijmegen. Even then, the fractured political landscape means formation of a new government may take months. It remains to be seen whether right-wing voters will see the turn of events as Mr Wilders' failure to turn his proposals into reality, or rather decide that he needs a bigger mandate to get his way, Mr van Lit said. Simon Otjes, assistant professor in Dutch politics at Leiden University, said the PVV must have calculated that the next election would be seen as a referendum on immigration policy, "because they know they would win that". Amsterdam resident Michelle ten Berge hoped that "with the new election we will choose ... a government that's more moderate". But florist Ron van den Hoogenband, in The Hague, said he expected Mr Wilders to emerge the winner and take control of parliament "so he can do like Trump is doing and other European countries where the extreme right is taking over". Immigration a divisive issue Mr Wilders won the last election in November 2023 with an unexpectedly high 23% of the vote. Opinion polls put his party at around 20% now, roughly on a par with the Labour/Green combination that is currently the second-largest grouping in parliament. Mr Wilders had last week demanded immediate support for a 10-point plan that included closing the borders to asylum seekers, sending back refugees from Syria and shutting down asylum shelters. He also proposed expelling migrants convicted of serious crimes and boosting border controls. Migration has been a divisive issue in Dutch politics for years. The previous government, led by current NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, also collapsed after failing to reach a deal on restricting immigration. Mr Wilders, a provocative politician who was convicted of discrimination against Moroccans in 2016, was not part of the latest government himself. He only managed to strike a coalition deal with three other conservative parties last year after agreeing not to become prime minister.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Dutch king accepts government's resignation after Wilders withdrawal
Dutch King Willem-Alexander on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Dick Schoof, while asking him to remain in office in a caretaker capacity. "After all, life goes on in the Netherlands and abroad, and decisions have to be taken that cannot be postponed," Schoof told parliament in The Hague. The collapse of the unwieldy four-party coalition came after right-wing populist Geert Wilders withdrew his members from the Cabinet in a conflict over migration. Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) formed the largest group in parliament after the party emerged victorious in the November 2023 elections. But PVV ministers and state secretaries have now withdrawn from Schoof's cabinet. Wilders' move came in for strong criticism in parliament from the coalition parties and from the opposition. "In my view, the fall of this government was unnecessary and irresponsible," Schoof, an independent, said. "We face large challenges nationally and internationally, and more than ever, decisiveness is required," he added. He said he would continue to conduct government business with the remaining three parties until fresh elections, which are expected in October or November. A date is likely to be set on Thursday. For his part, Wilders accused his former coalition partners of blocking his migration policies. "We want a complete halt to asylum, We want intensive border controls. We want every – truly every – asylum seeker to be turned back at the border," he said. "And that has to happen immediately," Wilders added. He said his party no longer wished to bear responsibility for what he described as "the demise of the Netherlands."
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Government collapse plunges Netherlands in turmoil ahead of key NATO summit
The collapse of the Dutch government sets a tricky political backdrop for the Netherlands as it prepares to host the NATO summit in just three weeks. Right-wing leader Geert Wilders' exit from government ended the already fragile Dutch coalition after a mere 11 months in power. On Tuesday, Wilders announced that his Party for Freedom (PVV) would leave the government because the three other parties in the coalition had failed to respond to his 10-point plan to implement stricter immigration policy. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof resigned shortly after Wilders' announcement, setting the stage for snap elections. Like other major economies in the European Union, the Netherlands has grown increasingly fragmented as parties struggle to reach consensus over topics such as immigration and housing. Immigration in particular has now led to the collapse of two successive administrations, also bringing about the end of Mark Rutte's coalition government in 2023. "[Wilders] ultimatum highlighted the lack of genuine cooperation between the PVV and its coalition partners, a tension that has plagued the government since its formation," Jess Middleton, senior Europe analyst at Verisk Maplecroft told CNBC by email, adding that political instability is likely to persist. But the upcoming NATO summit and expectations for the Dutch government to boost defense spending played a larger role in prompting Wilders' exit, experts say. NATO wants its 32 members to commit to spending 5% of GDP on defense and security-related infrastructure by 2032 and is set to push for that target when it next meets on June 24-25. No NATO member has so far reached the 5% spending objective suggested by Trump or by the Netherlands' own Rutte, who is now NATO's secretary-general. In the short term, Rutte has proposed members of the alliance increase defense spending to 3.5% of GDP, a goal that the Dutch have estimated will cost them an additional 16 billion to 19 billion euros ($18.2 billion to $21.6 billion) a year. That would require "either raising taxes or cutting spending," Jan Patternote, member of the centrist Democrats 66 (D66) party, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Wednesday. "It was pretty obvious that Mr. Wilders wanted to do neither. So he wanted to have none of it, and that's why he probably got out of the coalition before those tough decisions would have to be made." The D66 politician added, "I think Mr. Wilders wants everyone to believe that it was over differences in immigration policies. But, actually, what I think happened here is that Wilders found the kitchen too hot, so he found a way to get out of that kitchen, because the Netherlands was now facing the prospect of having to massively ramp up defense spending." CNBC has reached out to the PVV for comment. As he exited the coalition, Wilders claimed he "had no choice," adding in Google-translated comments on X that he had promised supporters the "strictest asylum policy ever," but had been unable to deliver on the pledge. The firebrand leader said voters were on his side and that "millions" of Dutch people wanted the PVV's 10-point plan to halt asylum to go ahead. "Almost all points of the PVV asylum plan are supported by a large majority of voters of all coalition parties. And almost three-quarters of PVV voters say that we should leave the cabinet if our plans are not largely adopted," he said in Google-translated comments. Voters' confidence in the PVV party has more than halved from 37% last year to 13% now, according to a poll from EenVandaag that polled over 16,000 people. The data shows that just 1 in 10 voters look back positively on cabinet's performance. Wilders wanted the coalition to fall part, as support for his PVV party was dropping in the polls, according to Armida van Rij, head of the Europe program at Chatham House. "The Netherlands is hosting the NATO Summit in exactly 3 weeks. Wilders knew this and tried to use this as leverage to force his coalition partners back to negotiating table, knowing that having a caretaker government would not be a good look nor useful to advance key policy positions," Van Rij said in emailed comments. She added that, while current polls show only the center-right VVD party is expected to gain from new elections, the PVV is likely to remain the largest party in the government. According to D66's Patternote, a new coalition with the PVV is "highly unlikely" even if Wilders wins the vote because so many center-left and center parties — including his own — have said they will not work with the right-wing leader. After tendering his resignation, Schoof said he and the remaining three coalition parties will continue in a caretaker role, meaning the smaller cabinet will likely only be able to make decisions on policy that is deemed critical. This essentially puts Dutch politics at a standstill at a time of rising geopolitical and trade tensions. Paternotte conceded that a new government will have a lot of work on its plate as the ongoing infighting has led to "massive cuts in education which the business community is very concerned about." "Personally, I think it's actually good news that a government has been brought down yesterday, because this opens up new opportunities to get some, well, very important topics being discussed in with other parties... And that's what's really needed to make sure that the country gets to a position in the European Union which is stronger than we have today," Paternotte said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Netherlands' Schoof seeks parliament support on defense after government collapse
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Prime Minister Dick Schoof, acting in a caretaker status after his resignation, sought parliamentary support on Wednesday for security and defense matters, a day after far-right leader Geert Wilders abruptly abandoned the coalition government. While no date was set for a snap election, it will likely be in the autumn based on previous election cycles. The timing of Wilders' exit - which he blamed on slow government progress in imposing immigration restrictions - is awkward, just three weeks before the Dutch are due to host a NATO summit. There, world leaders will be asked to more than double their defense and security-related spending target from 2% to 5% of GDP. "The fall of this cabinet, in my view, was unnecessary and irresponsible," Schoof, who resigned hours after Wilders pulled his PVV party out of the coalition, told the 150-seat lower house. "Nationally and internationally, we face major challenges, and more than ever, decisiveness is required for our security, resilience, and the economy in a rapidly changing world." Schoof asked legislators to back key policy decisions relating to military support for Ukraine, defense spending, cost of living, housing, migration and tariffs. Wilders, who reiterated his plans to freeze all immigration, said he aimed to become the next prime minister, even as his party steadily lost popularity while in power. "I proposed a plan to close the borders to asylum seekers, to stop them, to send them away, to stop building asylum centers and instead to shut them down," Wilders said during a debate convened to address the political crisis. "I asked my coalition partners to sign off on it, but they didn't," he said, explaining the timing of his exit decision. Frans Timmermans, a former EU commissioner who leads the left-wing opposition, said he would work with the caretaker government, which no longer includes Wilders' Freedom Party, on matters of security, and accused Wilders of causing political disagreement and paralysis. "When responsibility must be taken, when difficult decisions need to be made, Mr. Wilders is nowhere to be found," he said.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Netherlands' Schoof seeks parliament support on defense after government collapse
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Prime Minister Dick Schoof, acting in a caretaker status after his resignation, sought parliamentary support on Wednesday for security and defense matters, a day after far-right leader Geert Wilders abruptly abandoned the coalition government. While no date was set for a snap election, it will likely be in the autumn based on previous election cycles. The timing of Wilders' exit - which he blamed on slow government progress in imposing immigration restrictions - is awkward, just three weeks before the Dutch are due to host a NATO summit. There, world leaders will be asked to more than double their defense and security-related spending target from 2% to 5% of GDP. "The fall of this cabinet, in my view, was unnecessary and irresponsible," Schoof, who resigned hours after Wilders pulled his PVV party out of the coalition, told the 150-seat lower house. "Nationally and internationally, we face major challenges, and more than ever, decisiveness is required for our security, resilience, and the economy in a rapidly changing world." Schoof asked legislators to back key policy decisions relating to military support for Ukraine, defense spending, cost of living, housing, migration and tariffs. Wilders, who reiterated his plans to freeze all immigration, said he aimed to become the next prime minister, even as his party steadily lost popularity while in power. "I proposed a plan to close the borders to asylum seekers, to stop them, to send them away, to stop building asylum centers and instead to shut them down," Wilders said during a debate convened to address the political crisis. "I asked my coalition partners to sign off on it, but they didn't," he said, explaining the timing of his exit decision. Frans Timmermans, a former EU commissioner who leads the left-wing opposition, said he would work with the caretaker government, which no longer includes Wilders' Freedom Party, on matters of security, and accused Wilders of causing political disagreement and paralysis. "When responsibility must be taken, when difficult decisions need to be made, Mr. Wilders is nowhere to be found," he said. (Reporting by Anthony Deutsch and Bart MeijerEditing by Bernadette Baum)
