The Netherlands is close to a new political crisis: the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilders has announced that it is withdrawing from the ruling coalition. The reason was a disagreement over asylum policy.
Wilders called for implementing the PVV’s ten-point plan that included a complete ban on the integration of migrants, deporting Syrian refugees and closing down all centers for asylum seekers. The rest of the coalition partners, New Social Contract and People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy parties and Farmer and Citizens, would not, however, support such measures.
In response to the PVV ultimatum, the coalition went into crisis talks on 3 June. No accord was reached, however. Coalition partners accused Wilders with charges of irresponsibility for saying he was ‘once again putting his political interests ahead of those of the country.’ Wilders asserted that he had already informed Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof of the PVV’s resignation plan and that all members of the party were resigning from government. Schoof has not yet officially commented.
The crisis threatens to collapse the current cabinet, which has only been in office for just over a year (the cabinet was only formed in July 2024 after months of negotiations after the PVV emerged victorious at the November 2023 elections). Subsequently, Wilders, who earned a reputation by his anti-Islamism, Euroscepticism and calls for tighter immigration policy, obtained a mandate from a significant majority of dissatisfied voters who were not content with the Netherlands’immigration policy. In case the coalition ultimately collapses, the Netherlands could be faced with a new period of political turbulence and early elections.
