Parties that have agreed to form a far-right-led Dutch coalition government are struggling to choose a prime minister, which could leave the Netherlands without a fully functioning government for months to come. I was warned that there would be.
Geert Wilders, the anti-Islam lawmaker who convincingly won November's election, told MPs it may take until after the summer to put together a technocratic government. He reiterated that he does not intend to become prime minister as part of the outline of the coalition agreement.
Mr Wilders' initial candidate for prime minister withdrew earlier this week following reports of his alleged involvement in medical patent fraud.
“It could take a month or two,” he said, “or even until the crucial September session.”
Wilders has been a polarizing figure in Dutch politics for the past two decades, and his appointment as prime minister would be seen as a step too far.
“No one expected this to work,” Wilders said of the coalition. “And I assure you that the government team, including the prime minister, will be present. We will naturally make that happen as well.”
Mr. Wilders helped build a coalition with outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the populist Peasant Citizens' Movement and the newly formed centrist New Social Contract Party.
With plans to implement the most restrictive asylum policy in Dutch history, Wilders has pushed the Dutch coalition to the right, blurring the Netherlands' traditional view of an open, tolerant society.
The coalition plan also raises questions about the next government's climate commitments, which are included in European Union policy. The Peasants' Citizen Movement confirmed that the agreement includes appeasing language and concessions for farmers who blocked roads with tractors during destructive protests.
The issues over asylum and climate change could quickly spark a fierce battle with the EU headquarters in Brussels, which oversees how policies are implemented in member states, and could damage the country's status as a pillar of the 27-nation bloc that Mr Rutte has carefully nurtured during his nearly 13 years in power.
Rutte remains in the position on an interim basis and is seen as a leading candidate to become the next NATO secretary-general this year.
But his party risks being expelled from the liberal Renew coalition in the European Parliament due to its alliance with Mr Wilders. The Renew Coalition says it will not accept a coalition with the far right.
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Cassart reported from Brussels.
