Government formation mediator in the Netherlands resigns

In the Netherlands, the post-parliamentary election explorations are being delayed by a resignation. A party friend of Geert Wilders, who was supposed to lead the talks, gave up the job because of allegations of fraud.

In the Netherlands, talks to form a government stalled before they even began. Gom van Striem, who was commissioned by the right-wing populist election winner Geert Wilders to lead the explorations, relieved himself of the task in the morning. The talks were then canceled. The media had previously reported on allegations of fraud against the senator.

The “unrest” surrounding the reports and the time needed to respond appropriately “do not fit with my work” as a mediator, explained Wilders’ party colleague.

The media reported that a complaint had been filed against the former manager of a university-owned company in Utrecht some time ago. The current management accuses Van Strien of having damaged the company with financial tricks that he kept secret from the employees. The 72-year-old denies having done anything wrong, but has now resigned anyway.

Unclear Formation of government

It is unclear what will happen next with the formation of a government. “It is annoying to start the exploratory phase like this,” said Parliament President Vera Bergkamp. It is important that a successor to van Strien is appointed quickly and can begin his work immediately.

In the Netherlands, after an election, an explorator is traditionally hired to explore the possibility of a coalition. He speaks to all factions. Only then do substantive negotiations between the parties begin.

Negotiations can drag on for months

Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV) was the surprise winner of last week’s parliamentary election. Wilders, long considered an outsider and largely shunned by mainstream parties, is now the focus of efforts to form a new governing coalition.

The PVV won 37 of 150 seats in the lower house in the election. The VVD of the previous head of government Mark Rutte lost significantly and still got 24 mandates. After the election, the VVD ruled out a coalition with Wilders.

The center-right NSC party is considered a possible coalition partner for Wilders. However, their boss Pieter Omtzigt has already stated that working with Wilders would be difficult due to his extreme positions. In the Netherlands, coalition negotiations can take months due to the fragmented party landscape.

Right-wing populists position

Wilders, who described former US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as role models, announced during the election campaign that he would stop all immigration. He also wants to cut Dutch payments to the European Union and prevent new members such as Ukraine from joining. He rejects Islam across the board and does not want to continue supplying arms to Ukraine.