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Dutch parties resume gov't formation talks

Xinhua, May 3, 2017 Adjust font size:

Leading parties in the Netherlands on Wednesday resumed talks to form a new government after a break of 12 days.

The negotiations for a government coalition between the rightist liberals VVD, the Christian Democrats CDA, the leftist liberals D66 and the green lefties GroenLinks started on March 29, two weeks after the parliamentary elections.

Actually, the talks should have resumed Tuesday but were delayed due to the funeral of the mother of GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver.

The mother of Klaver suffered from a stroke and had to be taken to hospital earlier this month. For that reason Klaver already had to leave the negotiation table temporarily two weeks ago. His mother passed away and had her funeral on Tuesday.

Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's VVD won the elections with 33 out of 150 seats in the lower house of the parliament, before the rightist Party for Freedom PVV (20 seats), the CDA (19), D66 (19), GroenLinks (14).

To form a government, the parties that can get a majority of the 150 seats in the lower house must reach an agreement on all major issues, which is difficult because especially GroenLinks has a dissenting opinion on several subjects. For instance GroenLinks wants to increase unemployment benefits, increase tax on capital and earnings, wants a more social asylum policy and supports several forms of pollution taxes, while the VVD has opposite opinions on these subjects.

"The parties take their time. The last time the negotiators invited 12 experts to identify what the Netherlands is doing. It is expected that these lectures are over and there will be underway to mutual trust and a coalition," reported Dutch online newspaper Nu.

The last government formation only lasted 54 days, but the Dutch record after World War II is on 208 days in 1977. Outgoing Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Edith Schippers leads the ongoing negotiations. Schippers said she aims to finish the negotiations before the summer. Endit