The decision by PVV leader Geert Wilders to pull the plug on the coalition has plunged political The Hague into chaos and uncertainty on Tuesday. The factions of VVD, NSC, and BBB are now holding emergency consultations. Later in the day, the cabinet will also meet.
The chance that the Schoof cabinet will make a fresh start is very small. Without the support of the largest party in the House of Representatives, governing is quite difficult, but not impossible.
Wilders decided to pull the plug on the coalition on Tuesday morning. He demanded a signature from his three coalition partners under eight of the ten asylum measures he desired. Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD), Nicolien van Vroonhoven (NSC), and Caroline van der Plas (BBB) refused to sign. They felt that the PVV leader should first further develop his plans or present them to the cabinet.
The three reacted furiously to Wilders’ decision after a brief consultation. “A reckless kamikaze action,” said Van der Plas. Yesilgöz called it “super irresponsible” and Van Vroonhoven found it “incomprehensible.”
The factions of VVD, NSC, and BBB are holding emergency consultations this morning. Around 1:00 PM, the cabinet will also meet at the Catshuis. The ministers will then discuss how to proceed now that Wilders has given his team the order to resign before the king.