Right-wing parties to continue Cabinet talks; Wilders still wants deal with VVD, NSC

Cabinet formation talks leader Kim Putters will continue to try to align the parties that could make a right-wing Cabinet possible. His talks next week will begin with the leaders of the PVV, NSC, VVD and BBB, he announced on Friday. PVV leader Geert Wilders is hoping for political cooperation with BBB, VVD, and NSC in whichever form.

But it still does not appear that those parties are prepared to abandon the positions they took which suggested they were at a stalemate when presented in the final report of Putters' predecessor, Ronald Plasterk. Putters spoke on Friday with Wilders and BBB leader Caroline van der Plas. They are both outspoken in favor of right-wing cooperation, preferably in a normal majority Cabinet.

NSC has already ruled out that option, but Pieter Omtzigt's party is prepared to take a position tolerating a minority Cabinet from parliament. The VVD, led by Dilan Yeşilgöz, is now prepared to participate in a Cabinet on two conditions: That it is more distant from the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament, and that the NSC also participates. Dilan Yeşilgöz's VVD has also expressed a preference for an extra-parliamentary Cabinet.

Although nothing has changed about those positions, Putters affirmed that the conversations he has been having are still meaningful. “I'm not going around in circles.” He said he is "really systematically" exploring all possible variants with the four parties. The result will be included in his final report, which is expected to be presented to the Tweede Kamer in about a week and a half.

The formation talks seemed to have stalled again, but Wilders said he does not yet want to consider speaking with other parties, he said after speaking with Putters. The Netherlands has made it clear that they want a right-wing government, Wilders said. "I am not ruling out that it is still possible. I also hope this will be possible in the coming days and weeks."

It is possible that the PVV, BBB, and VVD could achieve a majority with the support of other parties, but Wilders does not want to investigate that option further. He wants to "find a way with these four parties" to form the basis for a new government. Putters was given the assignment by Tweede Kamer to "figure out the possibilities for a fruitful political cooperation," which emphatically "does justice to the election results, including the major shifts that have taken place," Wilders said. A logical translation of that result is that both the PVV and NSC will join the government, he added, noting that his party won 37 seats in Parliament and NSC also scored big with 20 seats.

Wilders emphasized on Friday that he has made "many" concessions and is now asking other parties to make decisions for the greater good. Wilders is open to any kind of Cabinet, although he prefers a majority, a minority Cabinet is also possible, and even an extra-parliamentary Cabinet.

Putters was not willing to say whether other party leaders will be invited later next week, for example to discuss alternatives if a right-wing Cabinet does not seem likely to succeed. "I have no intention of contributing to speculation." After his work at the Tweede Kamer, Putters left for Noordeinde Palace to update the king on the progress of the Cabinet formation. It is customary for the person in his position to do this at regular intervals.