Cabinet formation leader apologizes for calling VVD leader a liar at an election event
Update 12:53 p.m. - Two paragraphs added at the bottom. Journalist Eric Smit said on Friday that it was he, not Wijers, who made the negative comments about the VVD. The newspapers attribued the comments to the wrong person, he said. Wijers already said that he couldn't remeber saying that.
Before he’s even started, the newly appointed Cabinet formation informateur, Hans Wijers (D66), is under fire. De Telegraaf reported that he called VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz a liar during an event on election night. NRC reported that Wijers also made negative comments about the possibility of a center-right Cabinet with JA21 and reportedly called it a shame that voters didn’t punish the VVD more harshly.
At a press conference, ostensibly about the upcoming second phase of coalition negotiations, journalists repeatedly confronted Wijers with these statements, NOS reports. He said he retracted his words about Yeşilgöz, apologized, and wanted to speak to her about it in person.
The D66 member called his words that evening “inappropriate,” but also emphasized that he now has a completely different role. “Sometimes you can say things in a certain context that you shouldn’t have said.”
Wijers said he believes the formation process can continue unhindered, and he did not for “a second” consider resigning as informateur. He feels supported by the trust of the D66 and CDA party leaders, and of fellow informateur Sybrand Buma.
When asked if he thinks the statements will influence the development of trust, he said he did not doubt that he can build trust with the party leaders he has to work with in the coming weeks. “If you work hard and with integrity, that trust will come.”
Yeşilgöz, already sour that the VVD is sidelined for this first round of serious talks, wasn’t exactly kind to the informateur earlier in the evening. She said she wanted to know from the D66 and CDA how Wijers and Buma can enter the coalition formation process “with an open mind” after the critical statements.
On Friday, she wrote on X that she wanted to meet with the CDA and D66. The Netherlands needs a "confidence-building formation process" and not "more fuss and commotion," Yeşilgöz wrote. "I have proposed to the party leaders of the CDA and D66 that we sit down together and put this false start behind us."
The D66 and CDA said the formation process could continue as planned because Wijers retracted his statements. CDA informateur Buma also said he saw no problem with continuing. “People can make mistakes, and you can correct them. Wijers is doing that now,” Buma said.
The press conference focused primarily on Wijers' remarks, with journalists asking him dozens of questions about building trust. The D66 informateur remained steadfast in his belief that the coalition formation process can continue.
He called his remarks a “private opinion,” like everyone has, saying that he couldn't remember making the comments, but the evening was an excited moment of election victory, and someone had pulled him onto a stage unplanned. “I wasn’t prepared for anything; it was a spontaneous meeting.”
On Friday, journalist Eric Smit wrote on LinkedIn that he is "almost certain" that it was he who made the comments about the VVD, not Wijers. According to Smit, he was sitting on stage next to Wijers and was talking to him. The newspapers attributed the statements to the wrong person, he said.
"I was the one who called Yeşilgöz a liar, and I also made it clear that, as a liberal, I am very disappointed with the VVD's very narrow loss," Smit wrote. "I also said that a Cabinet with the radical right-wing JA21 - a splinter group from a fascist party - is looming, and this is a depressing prospect."
