After NSC withdrawal

Wilders speculates on minority government

The right-wing populist Geert Wilders won the elections in the Netherlands last year.

(Bild: AFP)

Following the collapse of coalition negotiations between four right-wing parties in the Netherlands, the formation of the first government of right-wing populist Geert Wilders has moved into the distant future. The center-right New Social Contract (NSC) party broke off talks on Tuesday evening and declared that it would not participate in a government. 

The other three parties do not have a majority in parliament. The party leaders sharply criticized the decision on Wednesday and demanded an explanation from NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt.

The breakdown of the talks had come as a surprise, they said. The parties had learned about it from the media. Wilders spoke of a "disrespectful" approach. "We had good and constructive talks. I don't understand any of this," said Wilders in The Hague.

What happens now?
"Under no circumstances do we want to make promises that we know are empty", argued NSC chairman Pieter Omtzigt in a letter to his party colleagues - referring to the financial prospects of the future government - to withdraw from the negotiations. In the evening, the party leaders were to meet with the parliament-appointed sounding board to discuss the next steps.

In the parliamentary elections on November 22, the radical right-wing Wilders and his anti-Islam party PVV became the strongest party with 37 out of 150 seats. He wanted to form a coalition with the right-wing liberal VVD, outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the NSC and the small right-wing protest party Bauerbürgerbewegung BBB. This could lead to a minority government - or even new elections.

NSC wants to support minority government
In a TV talk show on Tuesday evening, NSC leader Omtzigt explained his decision by saying that he had not been informed in good time about the poor state of public finances. However, he is prepared to support a minority government.

At the beginning of next week, the explorer, former minister Ronald Plasterk, is to present his report on the negotiations to parliament. Parliament must then decide on further steps to form a government.