“Dutch Government ‘Collapses'”
The Dutch government has collapsed following the abrupt withdrawal of Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV) from the governing coalition, triggering the resignation of Prime Minister Dick Schoof less than a year after the coalition was formed.
Schoof announced his resignation on Tuesday after an emergency cabinet meeting and is expected to formally offer the resignation of the cabinet to King Willem-Alexander later in the day. In a televised address, he condemned Wilders’ decision as “irresponsible and unnecessary,” expressing frustration at the sudden end of a fragile coalition. “As far as I’m concerned, this shouldn’t have happened,” Schoof said.
Wilders, whose PVV emerged as the largest party in the 2023 elections, demanded ten additional asylum policy measures, including freezing asylum applications, halting the construction of reception centers, and limiting family reunification. When coalition partners rejected the expanded proposals—citing legal concerns and overlap with existing agreements—Wilders withdrew PVV support. “No signature for our asylum plans. PVV leaves the coalition,” he announced on X (formerly Twitter).
The move effectively dissolved the coalition government, which had only come together in July 2024 after prolonged negotiations. Other coalition parties include the conservative-liberal VVD, the agrarian-oriented Farmers’ Citizen Movement (BBB), and the centrist New Social Contract (NSC).
Political fallout was immediate. VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz criticized the PVV’s exit as “super irresponsible,” arguing that the dispute had little to do with asylum policy. Deputy Prime Minister Mona Keijzer (BBB) accused Wilders of betraying the country. “This wasn’t about asylum at all,” she said.
Opposition parties also weighed in, with Socialist Party leader Jimmy Dijk declaring that the Netherlands had been “liberated from a political hostage situation,” describing the governing bloc as “four right-wing quarrelsome parties that achieve nothing.”
Despite the disruption, economic analysts downplayed the immediate financial impact. Sandra Phlippen, chief economist at ABN AMRO Bank, noted that the outgoing cabinet had “barely made any concrete plans” during its 11 months in office, suggesting limited near-term consequences for markets or policy continuity.
With a NATO summit scheduled to take place in The Hague at the end of June, Schoof and his cabinet are expected to remain in caretaker roles until new elections are called.
The Dutch press responded critically to the breakdown. The NRC newspaper described the coalition’s fall as a product of “amateurism and incompetence,” questioning the maturity of the leaders involved.
According to analysts, including Armida van Rij of Chatham House, Wilders may have engineered the collapse strategically, hoping to re-center his anti-immigration platform ahead of the next election as PVV support shows signs of waning. However, critics note that the PVV itself had overseen asylum and immigration policy over the past year, casting doubt on whether renewed campaigning on that issue will resonate with voters.
As the Netherlands braces for another round of political uncertainty, the collapse of the Schoof cabinet underscores the difficulty of maintaining unity in ideologically diverse coalitions—especially when core issues like migration remain unresolved.
Source article posted here: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0r1x5yyd5wo
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