61 percent want new elections as Dutch Cabinet formation stalls

More than six out of ten people would prefer a call for new elections to be held rather than the formation of a minority coalition government, EenVandaag reported Monday based on its own survey of about 28,000 people. Many D66 voters and CDA voters also prefer this.

The possibility of a minority Cabinet, consisting of VVD, D66 and CDA, is currently being studied and negotiated. About 61 percent of respondents have a preference for new elections. That includes 43 percent of those who voted D66 and 51 percent from the CDA, according to EenVandaag. Some 27 percent of VVD voters agree.

Many D66 voters and CDA voters hope that new elections will also "create new relationships that increase the chance of a successful formation," according to EenVandaag. Some would vote for another party in new elections.

The dissatisfaction is also visible in the confidence in Sigrid Kaag and Wopke Hoekstra. The leaders of D66 and CDA respectively received the lowest confidence scores from their voters, compared to the leaders of all other parties, according to EenVandaag. Some 69 percent have confidence in Kaag as a leader; the approval rating for Hoekstra is 62 percent.

In May, Kaag commanded 91 percent of support among her party's voters. Hoekstra scored 70 percent at that time.

The survey, which was held from September 15 to 20, was partially conducted before and after Sigrid Kaag resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs following a censure vote in the Tweede Kamer. Some 19,834 members of the EenVandaag Opinion Panel were surveyed before the resignation, and about 8,200 after. The Panel consists of a total of 70,000 members.