Three in four Dutch oppose new cabinet under Rutte

The idea of now former prime minister Mark Rutte (VVD/Renew) taking the reins of a new government after the former one collapsed under his helm does not bode well with about 72% of Dutch people, a recent survey has found.

Following the collapse of the Dutch cabinet, the current affairs TV programme EenVandaag surveyed on Friday and Saturday, with some 18,000 participants. Questions ranged from their opinion on the fallen cabinet’s track record to whom they would like to see as their specific party’s candidate for the next elections.

Among those surveyed, 85% said they would find it “unacceptable” if the four parties featured in the fallen cabinet would form a coalition again after the upcoming elections, with 83% rating the performance of the previous Rutte government as poor and merely 15% saying it had performed well.

The survey also pointed to 62% of those surveyed saying they were content with Rutte’s cabinet falling, though supporters of Rutte’s party VVD (65%) said they would welcome a fifth Rutte cabinet.

Still, nearly half of those surveyed (46%) stated that they are worried about the potential consequences for the country amid migration, housing and nitrogen crises, which are unlikely to be resolved until a new government is formed.

Off to the races

Meanwhile, several parties have already started gearing up for the upcoming elections, set to take place in November.

On Sunday, opposition parties GroenLinks (GL/Greens) and the Labour Party (PvdA/S&D) announced they would present a joint election program during a press conference in The Hague.

“I hope from the bottom of my heart […] that we can really build a social Netherlands, that it can be greener [and] that there is a future for our children,” PvdA leader Attje Kuiken stated during the press conference, adding that “we can do that with a left-wing cabinet and a left-wing prime minister”.

“For anyone still doubting leftist cooperation, look at what this cabinet has done,” said GL leader Jesse Klaver. “I never again want a cabinet that falls because they want to separate children from their parents,” he added.

However, the two parties remained silent concerning who would become their lead candidate. A previous attempt at presenting a joint election programme for next year’s EU elections fell through despite overwhelming support from both party’s bases.

On Saturday, Housing Minister Hugo de Jonge (CDA/EPP) declared that he has no ambitions of becoming party leader, describing such a move as “not that logical”. At the same time, he neither endorsed nor rejected a renewed berth by current party leader and Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra, stating that “he has to decide for himself whether to do it again”.

Opposition parties have already announced that they will submit a vote of no confidence in parliament on Monday, which, if supported by at least one of the coalition parties, could lead to Rutte’s immediate impeachment.

(Benedikt Stöckl | EURACTIV.com)