the winner of the parliamentary elections in , will today appoint a “tracker” who will investigate which political parties are ready to work together to form .
The 38-year-old centrist political leader, who stunned Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders by less than 30,000 votes, could become the youngest prime minister of the European Union’s fifth-largest economy.
But he will first have to form a coalition, since the fragmentation of the Dutch political landscape has not allowed any party to secure a parliamentary majority.
The task of forming a government is difficult
To secure an absolute majority of 76 seats in the 150-member parliament, the future governing coalition must include parties from across the political spectrum, except for the far right: Rob Getten’s D66 (26 seats), the center-right CDA (18), the liberal VVD (22) and the left-wing Green/Labor alliance (20).
But cooperation between the VVD and the Green/Labour alliance will be a difficult undertaking.
According to Dutch practice, the leader of the party that won the election appoints a “tracker” who scouts the parties’ intentions and finds out who is ready to talk to whom.
Who will be the “tracker”
According to Dutch media, the person who will play the role of the tracker is Wouter Koolmes, director of the national railway company NS, who has also taken on the mission for the D66 in the past.
Only when the “tracker” has completed its mission and presented possible coalition formations can the real negotiations begin.
Until the formation of the new government, the outgoing government of Dick Schoff will continue to manage the current affairs.
