Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced on Tuesday that the government he leads has resigned, and he will officially submit his resignation to the king. He added that he will continue to serve as the caretaker government to pave the way for possible early elections.
Earlier, Geert Wilders, leader of the right-wing Freedom Party (PVV), announced that his party will withdraw from the coalition government because three governing partners refused to support his immigration policy demands. Wilders’ demands include closing asylum borders, suspending family reunification, and repatriating asylum seekers to Syria.
With the Freedom Party’s withdrawal, its ministers will resign from cabinet positions, while the remaining three alliance parties – the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the New Social Contract Party (NSC), and the Farmers Citizens Movement (BBB) – will continue in a caretaker government capacity.
At a press conference, Schoof stated that the withdrawal of the Freedom Party has left the coalition without majority support in the House of Representatives, leaving the government no choice but to dissolve. “We all agree that with the departure of the Freedom Party, this cabinet can no longer count on sufficient support in the House of Representatives,” he said, announcing that he would immediately submit the resignations of all Freedom Party ministers to King Willem-Alexander.
Schoof mentioned that he had warned the leaders of the four coalition parties multiple times that causing the government to fall would be unnecessary and irresponsible. “In the past few days, I have repeatedly told the four party leaders that in my view, bringing down the cabinet is unnecessary and irresponsible,” he said. “We are facing significant challenges both domestically and internationally.”
“This calls for action, not procrastination,” he added. “Therefore, as a caretaker government, we will do our utmost within the scope of parliamentary authorization to work for the benefit of all citizens.”
The early elections could possibly take place as early as October, and given the highly fragmented political landscape in the Netherlands, forming a new government often takes several months.
Amidst this political turmoil, right-wing forces in Europe continue to rise. Wilders wrote on the social platform X, “No one is willing to sign on to our asylum proposals. The Freedom Party is leaving the coalition.”
In theory, the remaining coalition parties could try to form a minority government, but it is widely believed that this possibility is low.
Several opposition parties have called for new elections as soon as possible on Tuesday.