Following the electoral victory of right-wing populist Geert Wilders, the formation of a government in the Netherlands will now begin in a second attempt. The previous president of parliament today instructed former minister Ronald Plasterk in The Hague to explore the possibilities of a coalition.
A first attempt failed because the first explorer, member of the radical right party Wilders, resigned due to allegations of fraud.
The new explorer Plasterk is expected to hold talks with all group leaders and present his report on December 5th. Only then can substantive discussions begin between the possible new parties in the coalition.
At least two parties to obtain a majority
Wilders’ anti-Islam party won 37 of 150 seats in Parliament last week. Traditionally, now is your turn to form a coalition. To obtain a majority, he needs at least two parties.
The only realistic partners are outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s right-liberal VVD and the new centrist New Social Contract party. The VVD rejects participation in the government, but would tolerate a right-wing minority government.
Wilders recently stated that he wanted to suspend his highly controversial demands, such as banning the Quran and closing mosques.