Far-right Dutch leader Ghat Wilder withdraws his party from the government and defeats the Governable Union within a year.
This move — brought about by the immigration queue — will likely mark the arrival of snap elections.
Prime Minister Dick Schuff made a last-minute appeal to the Union leaders on Tuesday morning, but the meeting ended the coalition a minute before the Wilders left.
Wilders had requested 10 additional asylum measures, including freezing asylum applications, halting the construction of acceptance centres and limiting family unity.
“We have no signatures for our asylum plan. PVV will leave the coalition,” Wilders said, referring to his Liberal Party.
There was shock and rage among political leaders, many noted that some of Wilder’s demands were already similar to those found in the Coalition Agreement and were not in the way PVV was implemented.
Many of the additional proposals proposed by Wilders were rejected during coalition consultations due to legal concerns.
The Wilders decision ended the unsettling coalition of governance that was born in July 2024 after months of political conflict following last year’s elections.
The Geert Wilders anti-immigrant, far-right PVV, was the biggest party. The other members, still technically in the Union, are conservative liberal VVDs, the Peasant Civic Movement (BBB), and the new social contract of centrism.
Wilders’ former coalition partner accused him of engineering the crisis. VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz added that the move is “ultra irresponsible” and “this is not anything about asylum.”
“I think Wilder is betraying the Netherlands,” BBB Deputy Prime Minister Mona Caser said.
Opposition Socialist Party says the country has been “freed from the political hostage situation,” while leader Jimmy Dick calls “four right-wing quarrels who have achieved nothing.”
By defeating the coalition over the issue of asylum, Wilders could put it at the heart of his campaign.
However, given his party was liable for asylum and immigration for almost a year, there is no guarantee that such gambling will be rewarded.
Ministers will be convened for an emergency meeting this afternoon, and it is expected that Prime Minister Shuf will offer King Willem Alexander the resignation of the minister by the end of the day.
Dutch media reports that new elections could take place in the fall.
At the NATO summit, which will be held in the Hague at the end of the month, Schoef’s ministers may continue to maintain the abilities of caretakers until a date is set for the Netherlands to return to the poll.
Additional Reports by Anna Holligan of The Hague
