The mediator, who was tasked with assessing the options for forming a new Dutch government, suggested on Tuesday evening that the liberal D66 cooperate with the Christian Democratic Challenge (CDA) in the search for possible coalitions, reports TASR.
Mediator Wouter Koolmees announced that party leaders Rob Jetten (D66) and Henri Bontenbal (CDA) should work in the next three weeks to reach an agreement with other potential partners on key topics such as migration, housing, defence, nitrogen pollution, the economy and the investment climate in the Netherlands. It should be a “positive agenda”, Koolmees said.
Complications for coalitions
The Dutch political scene is highly fragmented, so it is not common for any party to win a majority in the 150-member parliament in an election. Jetten’s D66 party won 26 parliamentary seats, the fewest in recent election history. This low profit made his path to the parliamentary majority (76 seats) even more complicated, AFP explained.
As a coalition, Jetten prefers a four-member grouping of his D66, the center-right CDA (18 seats), the right-wing People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VDD – 22 seats) and the left-wing Green Links and Labor Party (PvdA – 20 MPs). This coalition would have a comfortable majority of 86 seats.
Challenges for Mediator Koolmees
However, VVD leader Dilan Yešilgözová refuses to govern with Groen Links/PvdA, and even mediator Wouter Koolmees could not bring these groups together in the first stage of negotiations.
Yešilgöz wants a right-wing coalition that includes her VVD, CDA, Jetten’s D66 and the Conservative Liberals (JA21), which surprisingly won nine seats in the election. However, this coalition would only have 75 seats, which would mean it would be vulnerable in the event of obstruction.
Striving for the fastest possible government
Appointed to solve this conundrum, Koolmees suggested that CDA’s Jetten and Bontenbal, who are politically closest to each other, should first work together to agree on policy issues.
“There seems to be broad support for forming a coalition at least with CDA and D66, the two biggest winners in this election,” Koolmees explained to reporters on Tuesday.
Koolmees expressed the hope that other political parties would join after the contours of a potential government policy have been drawn up – by December 9.
AFP recalled that all political parties agreed that a new government in the Netherlands should be formed as quickly as possible. However, Koolmees considers its formation by Christmas unlikely. He clarified that putting together a functioning coalition is “extremely complicated”. At the same time, he emphasized that when forming the government, it will be important to take into account the majority in the upper chamber of the parliament (Senate), so that laws can be approved in both chambers of the legislature.
Until a new government is formed, the Netherlands – the fifth largest economy of the European Union – is led by acting Prime Minister Dick Schoof.
