Almost six months after the general election in the Netherlands, the radical right-wing populist Geert Wilders and three other right-wing parties have agreed on a new coalition. Wilders announced this on Wednesday in The Hague. The leaders of four parties had agreed to such a plan, said Wilders. Now the factions of the four parties would be involved.
In the election on November 22nd, Wilders and his Party for Freedom won 37 of the 150 seats in parliament. His future government partners are the right-wing liberal VVD of the previous Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the new right-wing conservative NSC and the right-wing populist farmers’ party BBB. The potential partners had previously announced that they would strive for a loose alliance. They want a ministerial team that consists half of non-partisan experts. It is unclear who will become head of government. In order to clear the way for a radical right-wing government, Wilders had agreed to give up the office of head of government.
The previous Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been head of government for more than 13 years. In the summer of 2023, his center-right coalition collapsed in the dispute over asylum policy. Rutte then announced his departure from politics; he is now the most promising candidate for the office of NATO Secretary General.