Wilders seeks new troubleshooter to end Dutch coalition deadlock

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders said Wednesday (14 February) he has asked a new official to revive talks on forming a Dutch government, almost three months since the election.

Efforts to form a four-party centre-right coalition broke down last week when one party withdrew in a row over public finances.

Dutch coalition talks in disarray as junior partner steps away

Dutch government formation talks were thrown in disarray on Tuesday (6 February) as centrist party NSC unexpectedly stepped away, complicating the task for far-right politician Geert Wilders to assemble a working coalition.

“The Netherlands urgently needs a new cabinet. Our country has major problems and needs to be governed,” Wilders told MPs during a debate about the deadlocked talks.

The last official guiding the talks, Ronald Plasterk, gave up the post last week saying that the differences between the parties were too big.

Wilders told MPs he had asked Kim Putters, a former Labour senator and who now heads one of the government’s most important advisory boards, to take up the talks.

“It could be the leverage needed,” to form a government, said Wilders, who has election winner names the official to lead coalition talks.

“It’s an enormous disappointment to stand here today to say that this assignment has not been completed,” said Wilders, who blamed anti-corruption champion Pieter Omtzigt, head of the NSC party, who walked out of the talks last week Tuesday.

Wilders, whose PVV won 37 seats, has opened new talks with the other three parties but without the NSC and its 20 seats in the 150-seat parliament, he has no chance of forming a majority cabinet.

The far-right leader clashed with Omtzigt over parts of his manifesto seen as anti-constitutional, like its anti-Islam elements but also plans for a Dutch vote on leaving the European Union.

Plasterk’s final report suggested the PVV and two remaining parties – the liberal VVD and farmer-friendly BBB — had made some headway in their discussions.

Meanwhile Dilan Yesilgoz, whose VVD party lost its top status after the elections, told MPs her party would be willing to join a coalition with Wilders in an “extra-parliamentary cabinet, in the country’s best interest.”