Geert Wilders, leader of the Freedom organization (PVV), announced the withdrawal of his group from the ruling coalition, resulting in the collapse of Prime Minister Dick Schoof's cabinet. This decision was the consequence of a deficiency of agreement on the tightening of asylum policy, which Wilders found to be a failure to meet election promises.
After winning the November 2023 parliamentary election, PVV became the top force in parliament, winning 37 tickets. However, in order to form a government, it was essential to enter into a coalition with 3 another parties: VVD, NSC and BBB. The Prime Minister was Dick Schoof, an independent candidate, nominated by Wilders, who himself resigned from this position due to deficiency of support from coalition partners.
The coalition was tense from the beginning, especially on migration issues. Wilders repeatedly stressed the request for extremist changes in asylum policy, as reflected in his 10-point plan presented in May this year. This plan included the closure of borders for fresh asylum applications, the deportation of Syrian refugees and the usage of troops for border control.
Failure by coalition partners to implement the changes proposed by Wilders led to his decision to leave the government. In a message published on platform X (formerly Twitter), he wrote:
"No signature under our asylum plans. No changes to the main coalition agreement. PVV leaves the coalition.”
Wilders besides commented:
"I proposed a plan to close the borders for asylum seekers, their deportations, the closure of exile centres. I requested the coalition partners to sign it, which they didn't. So I had no choice but to retreat our support for this government.”
He besides added:
"I agreed to the strictest asylum policy, not the fall of the Netherlands."
Wilders' decision was met with harsh criticism from another members of the coalition. Prime Minister Schoof described it as "irresponsible and unnecessary", stressing that the country faces serious challenges both on the national and global stage. The VVD leader, Dilan Yeşilgöz, accused Wilders of acting in her own favour at the expense of national interest. Caroline van der Plas of BBB, in turn, called his decision “unreasonable”.
The exit of the PVV from the coalition means the failure of a parliamentary majority by the government, which now has only 51 out of 150 mandates. Prime Minister Schoof resigned on the hands of King Wilhelm-Alexandra, and until the fresh elections he would be in charge of the interim government. Early elections are expected to take place in autumn.
Wilders announced that he would lead the PVV in the upcoming elections, hoping to get a stronger mandate and take the position of Prime Minister. However, according to the latest polls, the support for PVV has fallen to around 20%, which puts it on an equal footing with another major parties specified as the left-wing GroenLinks–PvdA coalition and the centre-right VVD.
The fall of the government takes place at a crucial moment, just a fewer weeks before the planned NATO summit in The Hague. The current political instability may affect the Netherlands' ability to make decisions on defence and abroad policy.
