Story: :: File
The Netherlands will have the most right-wing government in decades.
Wednesday, Dutch Nationalists Geert Wilders The four parties announced that they had reached an agreement…
:: November 22, 2023
…almost six months after a major election victory.
Mr Wilders had already stripped him of the prime ministership in order to bring his party to the negotiating table.
“There is an agreement among the negotiators,” he said.
Negotiations have dragged on for months since Mr Wilders won an upset victory in November.
Immigration, finances, and climate were among the key issues.
:: May 2005
Wilders has been influencing Dutch immigration policy from the opposition party since 2006 and is known for his outspoken views on Islam.
But in recent months, he has toned down his anti-EU and anti-Islam rhetoric and stopped opposing military aid to Ukraine.
Also participating in the coalition government are outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's centre-right party, the New Center Party and the Peasant Protest Party.
They will have a strong majority of 88 seats in the 150-member House of Commons.
According to Dutch media, he could be the new government's candidate for prime minister…
:: File
…Ronald Plasterk.
He is a Labor Party veteran who led some of the coalition negotiations.
One analyst said detaining the prime minister could be problematic and could make the coalition inherently unstable.
:: November 22, 2023
Mr. Wilders rode a wave of anti-immigration and anti-establishment sentiment to his biggest electoral victory since Mr. Rutte announced his withdrawal from Dutch politics last year.
He blamed the housing shortage on the influx of asylum seekers.
And it capitalized on concerns about the cost of living and the health care system.
The next government is widely expected to introduce stricter asylum immigration policies.
Wilders has close ties to other European populists, including Hungary's Viktor Orbán.
He has promised to spend heavily on health care and lower the retirement age.
However, budget constraints make it unlikely that all other political parties will support these plans.
