D66, CDA, VVD will form new Cabinet with minority support in Parliament
Political parties D66, CDA, and VVD will form a coalition government even though the three parties do not carry a majority of support in neither the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament, nor the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate. The leader of centrist party D66, Rob Jetten, announced the decision at the end of Friday afternoon after talks between the three parties started up again this week following a winter holiday break.
"I've made it clear to colleagues that I don't think a combination of these three parties plus JA21 is wise at this time, given everything that needs to happen. And similarly, other preferred options haven't changed. This combination of three parties therefore remains a logical option for us," Jetten explained Friday, with party leaders Dilan Yeşilgöz (VVD) and Henri Bontenbal (CDA) at his side.
The leaders of the three parties met Thursday and Friday at the De Zwaluwenberg, an estate in Hilversum. The VVD had been pushing to include far-right party JA21 to at least hold a slim majority in the Tweede Kamer, even though they would have been well short of a majority in the Eerste Kamer.
Jetten, whose party won a plurality of votes in the October election, had reservations about working with JA21. Right after the vote, he expressed a preference to bring left-wing faction GroenLinks-PvdA into the mix, saying the voters indicated they want a centrist government with involvement from both the left and right.
Additionally, that would have given them a majority in both houses of Parliament. However, Yeşilgöz remained steadfast in her opposition to working with the merged party consisting of both Green and Labour politicians. She held her position even with the resignation of GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans.
The informateur leading talks between the three parties, Rianne Letschert, was tasked with guiding discussions both about a minority versus a majority coalition, and also finding ways to bridge the gaps on policy. Jetten said earlier that the parties forming the coalition must "make a decision in the coming days or weeks" about how they will work together in a new coalition.
All three party leaders, including Letschert, said they consider it important to form a Cabinet quickly, especially given the global geopolitical tensions with the United States having captured and arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Shortly after, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his ambition to annex Greenland, prompting negative reactions from Europe. On Thursday, Trump announced his withdrawal from dozens of organizations, including the United Nations.
A minority coalition has "advantages and disadvantages," Jetten said this week. He foresees an "open political culture" in a minority coalition, "which also demands a great deal from a Cabinet."
Such a formation was not the preferred option for Yeşilgöz. At the same time, she said she would not rule out the possibility.
