Far-Right Fallout: Dutch Government Collapses in Coalition Crisis
The row which led to its collapse came after Wilders pushed for 10 additional asylum measures, including a freeze on applications, halting the construction of reception centres and limiting family reunification.
On Tuesday morning, Schoof had made a last-minute plea to the leaders of the coalition parties, but the meeting ended after only one minute when Wilders left.
“Our plans for asylum have not been signed. “PVV departs from the coalition,” Wilders stated on X.
A number of political heavyweights expressed amazement and rage, pointing out that they would not obstruct the PVV’s implementation of Wilders’ proposals because they were comparable to measures previously included in the coalition agreement.
During coalition negotiations, several of Wilders’ other plans had been rejected due to legal issues.
An unstable ruling alliance that was formed in July 2024 after months of political bickering after the previous year’s elections has come to an end as a result of Wilders’ decision. The largest party was his far-right, anti-immigration PVV. The Farmers’ Citizen Movement (BBB), the centrist New Social Contract, and the conservative-liberal VVD were the other members.
From the beginning, the coalition appeared to be a marriage of convenience, marked by internal strife and a failure to implement any of the principles it had so proudly championed. Former coalition partners accused Wilders of orchestrating the crisis after it fell apart. “This wasn’t about asylum at all,” VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz said, calling the action “super irresponsible.”
“I think Wilders is betraying the Netherlands,” BBB deputy prime minister Mona Keijzer stated.
However, Wilders seems empowered. He declared his intention to become prime minister of the Netherlands “and ensure that the PVV becomes bigger than ever in the next elections” to reporters on Tuesday.
According to Sandra Phlippen, chief economist of ABN AMRO bank, the administration had “barely made any concrete plans” in its 11 months in office, thus the immediate economic impact of the cabinet’s fall seemed to be small. The far right and Green-Left parties are tied in polls, and political unrest throughout Europe is being exacerbated by concerns about migration and the expense of living.
As support for his Freedom Party continues to decline in the polls, Armida van Rij, Head of the Europe Programme at Chatham House, said Wilders wanted the government to fall.
According to Dutch media, Schoof’s ministers will attempt to hold onto power in a caretaker capacity until a date is chosen for the Netherlands to go back to the polls, most likely in the fall, as the NATO summit is scheduled to take place in the Hague at the end of the month.
In the 150-seat Dutch parliament, a majority coalition must be formed in order to become prime minister. Even if Wilders again outperforms political analysts, his choice to overthrow the government is being viewed as risky, and it may be more difficult for him to build coalitions following the next election if people believe he is prioritizing his own goals over the stability of the country.
That type of alliance is probably going to become even less appealing to the parties that were hesitant or refused to form a government with Wilders following the last election. Furthermore, it is probable that Wilders would make the asylum problem the focal point of his next election campaign after upending the coalition over it.
There are no assurances that such a risk will be profitable, though, considering that his party had been in charge of immigration and asylum for nearly a year.
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