AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – After 12 weeks, the efforts to form a government in the Netherlands following an election won by the nationalist Freedom Party (PVV) of anti-Muslim populist Geert Wilders have to begin anew, as they still lack a majority.
There are several scenarios that are being considered after the previous efforts have stalled.
One potential option is a majority government led by the right-wing parties, including the PVV, the center-right VVD, the centrist NSC and the farmers protest party BBB. However, talks have failed to gain traction, as both VVD and NSC are reluctant to work with Wilders, who has struggled to overcome this resistance.
The next possibility is a minority government led by the same right-wing parties, with potential outside support from NSC. The Netherlands usually operates under majority coalitions, but there have been instances of minority governments in the past.
Alternatively, different party combinations could try to form a government. For instance, a Green Left-Labour alliance led by Frans Timmermans, who has ruled out working with Wilders, making this option unlikely without his party’s involvement.
If the right-wing parties fail to form a detailed coalition pact, another option could be a technocratic government consisting of outside experts who seek shifting majorities in parliament for their policies. This option was proposed by NSC chief Pieter Omtzigt before the election.
Omtzigt has also suggested a broad outsiders government, where a larger group of parties would nominate independent figures to a cabinet not constrained by agreements with parties in parliament. This experimental broad coalition would also try to cultivate varying majorities for their proposals.
If no new government can be formed, a last resort option is to hold a new election. The most recent government formation in 2021 took a record 299 days to complete, underscoring the challenges of forming a government in the Netherlands.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer; editing by Mark Heinrich)
