Skip to main content
Netherlands News in English

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
Interview with Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz on the state of Dutch crime journalism
Interview with Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yeşilgöz on the state of Dutch crime journalism - Credit: De Balie; Wikimedia / Wikimedia - License: All Rights Reserved
Politics
Dilan Yesilgoz
Frans Timmermans
2023 parliamentary election
right wing politics
united left
VVD
GroenLinks-PvdA
NSC
Saturday, 11 November 2023 - 11:00

Share this article:

Yeşilgöz and Timmermans have no interest in a minority cabinet

The leader of the VVD list, Dilan Yeşilgöz, has little interest in leading a minority cabinet if her party becomes the largest party. "That is not my preference," she said on the Op1 television program on Friday.

VVD-lijsttrekker @DilanYesilgoz staat niet te springen om premier te worden van een minderheidskabinet. “Het heeft niet mijn voorkeur”, aldus de lijsttrekker. #Op1 #EO #WNL pic.twitter.com/MLDJPyp3yl

— Café Kockelmann (@CafeKockelmann) November 10, 2023

She pointed out that it is already "hard and difficult" when a government does not have a majority in the Senate. This was also the case with the fallen Cabinet of VVD, D66, CDA, and Christian Union. "That is not necessarily very efficient," she said.

Furthermore, Yeşilgöz stated she did not want to be dogmatic here. But a "solid Cabinet, a majority cabinet that can also provide stability" is her clear preference. Ultimately, she does not rule out a minority government.

GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans also does not believe in a minority government, he said in an interview with Trouw. According to the Social Democrat, a Cabinet needs a stable majority in the Tweede Kamer "if you want to set a firm course that can put the country on a better path over several years".

However, Pieter Omtzigt from Nieuw Sociaal Contract (NSC) has already said several times that he finds the idea of a minority government interesting. In his opinion, it could increase the influence of parliament.

If it were up to Timmermans, a "broad center" coalition would be forged after the elections. "Because I am realistic. The left has never been able to do it alone in the Netherlands. And neither has the right, for that matter. But then the center must also be prepared to work together.”

However, he fears that the GroenLinks-PvdA will end up in opposition if the party does not become the largest. The VVD prefers to move to the right, and he senses the same with the NSC. “Omtzigt is considering a right-wing cabinet with Ja21 and SGP, which confirms my fears in so many words. He's not alone. In the VVD I see a yearning to switch to the right. Dilan Yesilgöz flirts with Geert Wilders, sometimes not, then again yes, he told Trouw. "If they think they can bypass us, they will bypass us again," he concludes.

In the latest Peilingwijzer, a weighted average by I&O Research and Ipsos/EenVandaag, the GroenLinks-PvdA is at 21 to 25 seats. This puts the united left parties just behind the NSC (25 to 31 seats) and the VVD (26 to 30 seats).

Reporting by ANP and NL Times

More like this

Image
PVV leader Geert Wilders during a parliamentary debate ostensibly about the national budget, but really about the upcoming elections. 17 September 2025
Wilders shouts asylum; Deserter, Timmermans says: Parties use budget debate to campaign
Image
King Willem-Alexamder and the Schoof I Cabinet on the steps of Huis ten Bosch palace immediately after their swearing-in ceremony, 2 July 2024
Only 16% of voters still have confidence in Dutch Cabinet
Image
Dick Schoof
Dutch PM applauds Israel-Hamas ceasefire as "major breakthrough"
Image
A person casting their vote in the 2023 parliamentary election at a polling station in Amsterdam, 22 November 2023
Exit poll puts far-right PVV as the largest party in Dutch parliament with defiant win
Make NL Times your top Google source

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Wasteful Oranje punished as Algeria snatch late victory in World Cup warm-up
  • Dutch State buys medieval ring found with metal detector for €83,150
  • Rotterdam shooting suspect arrested in Spain within days of fleeing
  • Nearly 90% of Dutch dermatologists link TikTok skincare trends to patient skin problems
  • Dogs falling ill, dying after swimming in the IJmeer near Amsterdam & Almere

Top stories

  • Court rules Ye can remain in Netherlands for Arnhem performances this week
  • New A'dam coalition planning parking +tourist tax hike, free public transport for kids
  • European Commission tells Netherlands to stop extra border controls
  • Pregnant woman thrown to ground at Zeist asylum shelter was trying to ask cop a question
  • Senior Dutch virologist, colleague accused of smuggling inactive Mpox into United States

© 2012-2026, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Change Privacy Settings
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Partner Content