Parliament to debate failed Cabinet formation today; Most voters unhappy talks collapsed

Today, parliament will debate Ronald Plasterk’s final report on the Cabinet formation talks that fell apart last week when Pieter Omtzigt and his NSC abruptly withdrew. The main conclusion of the formation leader’s report is that a majority Cabinet consisting of PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB is currently impossible, but he has hopes that the four parties can cooperate in some other way. Over half of voters (53 percent) are unhappy with the talks breaking down, according to voter research by I&O Research. The dissatisfaction is greatest among voters for the four involved parties.

Omtzigt will likely face the most criticism in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, on Wednesday. He’ll have to explain why he suddenly decided to pull out after weeks of talking with the other three parties. The other parties in the Kamer will also want to know exactly what the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB have been talking about all these weeks.

Now that Omtzigt has said in every possible way that he doesn’t want to be at the negotiation table for the time being, the spotlight is on VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz. Before the formation started, she said the VVD did not want to be part of the next Cabinet but was willing to offer tacit support to the right government. After the negotiations fell apart, she said she would like to continue with the content but did not specify how, according to NOS.

Officially, the initiative for the next steps lies with PVV leader Geert Wilders as the leader of the largest party. He may propose someone else to lead the formation negotiations, and parliament will vote on whether to appoint them.

It currently looks like there is a parliamentary majority who wants to further explore whether some form of cooperation is possible between the PVV, VVD, and BBB, according to NOS. But the Dutch parliament has little to no experience with the alternatives to a majority Cabinet - a minority government with tacit support or an extra-parliamentary Cabinet.

Most Dutch voters are displeased that the Cabinet formation talks have fallen apart, but none more so than the PVV voters (75 percent) and NSC voters (58 percent). Only 42 percent of NSC voters still fully support their vote for Omtzigt’s party in the elections in November. That is the lowest percentage of all parties, though the VVD gets close, with only 47 percent not regretting their votes for the liberals at all. Most of the PVV voters (89 percent) are still happy with the way they voted.

Most voters still want a right-wing Cabinet, mainly because they want to reduce immigration, I&O Research researcher Peter Kanne told NOS. Voters blame Omtzigt and his party for a hesitant attitude in the Cabinet formation, and many NSC voters are, therefore, threatening to turn their backs on Omtzigt, mostly benefiting the PVV.

That is also reflected in the appreciation figures. Shortly after founding the NSC, voters scored Omtzigt an average of 7.6. That has now dropped to 5.5. VVD leader Yesilgöz has also lost a great deal of appreciation in the past six months, with her score dropping from 6.4 to 5.1. Wilders has remained relatively stable at 5.2, but he polarizes voters the most. The PVV leader got the most eights, nines, and tens but also the most failing grades.