Gom Van Strien News Today

Dutch coalition talks have hit a stumbling block: migration.

The political expert assigned to see if initial discussions can progress to the formation of a new Cabinet released his first report on Monday evening about the conversations he has had with party leaders following last month’s election.

The Party for Freedom, or PVV, led by veteran anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, won 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house on Wednesday, indicating a seismic shift to the right for the Netherlands.

A party ally of far-right Dutch election winner Geert Wilders on Monday quit his role in the building of a new governing coalition over fraud allegations, throwing the process of creating a new government into turmoil before it had begun. Gom van Strien, a senator for Wilders’ Party for Freedom, was appointed last week as…

Cabinet formation scout Ronald Plasterk must try to make up for the delay in the exploration process from today. The former PvdA Minister expressed hope to present a report next week, after which the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, can debate it. Plasterk will meet with the leaders of the four largest parties on Wednesday.

Mark Rutte’s government pandered to the anti-immigrant right while failing to address a benefits scandal, a housing crisis, and inflation.

PVV leader Geert Wilders said on Tuesday he hopes that parties will at least sit with and talk to him about forming a coalition. He expressed his desire to form a government with VVD, NSC, and BBB after the meeting where Ronald Plasterk was appointed as the new scout for the Cabinet formation process. "My approach would be: start talking to each other and then we'll see if it works out or not. Without talking, nothing will succeed," Wilders stated.

THE HAGUE: Already difficult talks to form a government coalition in the Netherlands after Geert Wilders´s shock election win were thrown into disarray on Monday as the man tasked with...

Far-right, anti-Islam Dutch politician Geert Wilders sought to kick-start the arduous process of forming a coalition on Tuesday, still reeling from the collapse of initial efforts before talks had even begun.

Party leaders back Plasterk to kick off coalition talks