Wilders confident nothing will "go wrong" on day of truth for right-wing Cabinet

PVV leader Geert Wilders is optimistic about forming a new Cabinet with the VVD, NSC, and BBB. An hour after midnight, he announced that the four parties would need some time to complete their discussions on Wednesday morning. “I hope it will be okay. I think it will be okay. I don’t see anything going wrong anymore.” The formation leaders must submit their final report on this round of formation talks to parliament by tonight.

According to Wilders, there was no discussion about the Prime Minster candidate on Tuesday. Sources close to the negotiations told RTL Nieuws that Wilders wants to nominate Ronald Plasterk (PvdA). The four parties started negotiations at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday. Wilders was the first to leave the talks just after 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday.

VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz was also optimistic after the meeting. “I think we’re there.” She said several points needed to be discussed further on Wednesday, but she did not say what they were. “It was a good day, and we made decisions.”

BBB leader Caroline van der Plas said she was “very happy” that they were nearly at an agreement. According to her, all that remains is to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.

NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt also said that the four parties were “close to an agreement.” The actual formation of the government will take longer than usual, Omtzigt expects. That is partly because the formateur who will put together the Cabinet - the Prime Minister - did not participate in the negotiations, he said after a long day of discussions.

Earlier in the negotiations, the party leaders of PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB agreed they wouldn’t be part of the new Cabinet but would remain in parliament. It is customary for the leader of the largest party, in this case Wilders, to be the formateur and then Prime Minister. That will not happen.

“It is, of course, very strange that the Netherlands voted on November 22 and will hear [today] who the Prime Minister candidate is,” Omtzigt said. “That is a peculiar order for a democracy.” Omtzigt said he doesn’t know who Wilders has in mind, but that person will be “crucial” for the success of a new Cabinet.

Omtzigt said the NSC will decide on Wednesday whether the party will also supply Ministers to the Cabinet. He won’t “rule out” the possibility that some party members will join the Cabinet.

The chance of a PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB Cabinet forming has increased but is “not yet 100 percent,” formation leader Elbert Dijkgraaf said after the talks. “Long and intensive” was how formation leader Richard Van Zwol described them.

Wednesday will be an important day, they said. The Prime Minister candidate will be formally discussed for the first time. Van Zwol does not expect that to lead to problems, “but of course, it is an important conversation.” Dijkgraaf emphatically said that it is “excluded” that he or Van Zwol will be that candidate.

The negotiators will meet again at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday.