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Dutch coalition gov't talks begin, long talks ahead

Xinhua, March 29, 2017 Adjust font size:

Two weeks after the Dutch parliamentary elections, the first substantive talks on a government coalition with representatives of the right-wing liberal party VVD, the Christian Democrats (CDA), the leftist liberals D66, and the left-wing green party GroenLinks started on Wednesday.

Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's VVD party won the elections with 33 out of 150 seats in the lower house of parliament.

It was followed by the rightist populist Party for Freedom (PVV) with 20 seats, both the CDA and D66 tied at 19, GroenLinks and the Socialist Party (SP) also tied at 14, and the Labour Party (PvdA) finished with nine seats. All parties excluded cooperation with the anti-Islam and anti-Europe party PVV.

The negotiations will be difficult because GroenLinks has a dissenting opinion on several subjects to be discussed. For instance, the party wants to increase unemployment benefits, increase tax on capital and earnings, wants a more social asylum policy, and supports pollution taxes, while the VVD, in particular, has opposing views on these subjects.

A long period of negotiations probably lies ahead, which is not uncommon in Dutch political history. The last government formation only lasted 54 days, but since World War II, the longest record was 208 days in 1977.

Edith Schippers, the outgoing minister of health, welfare and sport, said she aims to finish the negotiations "before the summer."

Rutte is very likely to become the prime minister once again in the next government, the third time service for him. Endit