Labour MP threatens with no confidence vote over Ukraine referendum

PvdA parliamentarian Jacques Monasch is threatening to support a motion of no confidence by the opposition parties against the government next week if a decision is not made about the Ukraine referendum, he said to NOS on Thursday.

In April 32 percent of Dutch voters voted in the referendum on an association agreement between the European Union and Ukraine. A majority of them voted against ratifying the agreement. Monasch wants this outcome to be respected. The government is looking for a compromise in which the agreement isn't thrown off the table, but the concerns of the Dutch voters are addressed.

"If the government does not listen to this, I unfortunately have to support a vote of no confidence", Monasch said. If he does so, he is heading for a conflict with the leaders of his party.

The Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, is talking about the referendum again next week. If there is a motion of no confidence, it will likely be filed during that debate.

The Kamer gave the government a deadline of November 1st to decide what to do about the association agreement. But the government asked for more time. Prime Minister Mark Rutte wants to continue to search for a solution to the referendum conundrum until the European Summit on December 15th and 16th, NU.nl reports. According to him, not ratifying the agreement will increase the instability in the Ukraine and will "play into Moscow's hands".