Still no new Cabinet after another long day of negotiations

After another long day of negotiations, a Cabinet of PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB is still not in sight. Whether the four parties will reach an agreement may remain uncertain until May 15, formation leaders Elbert Dijkgraaf and Richard van Zwol said after the discussions between the party leaders and their seconds. The formation leaders’ final report must then be sent to parliament. “Time is running out,” said Van Zwol. Dijkgraaf also said that “time is starting to run out a bit.”

“There is no certainty,” Van Zwol said when journalists asked whether the four parties would reach an agreement. Although the discussions on Tuesday were good—they did hard work, and the atmosphere was good—no decision has been made on any issue yet. The mutual discussions are tough, Dijkgraaf said, but he also thinks that is logical. “The deadline is getting closer.”

He spoke of “very complicated processes” that could determine at the very end whether or not an agreement can be made. “Now you see that the deadline is approaching and then it becomes really stressful. Will it work or not? The honest story is that we don’t know either,” Dijkgraaf said.

Just like on Monday, the parties are now “exchanging” - setting demands on one issue in exchange for giving in on or abandoning another issue. But here, too, it will only be clear at the end of the negotiations whether the four parties believe that they have each achieved enough. “It’s a kind of funnel where you’re moving towards. It has to happen at the final moment.”

According to the formation leaders, making decisions is complicated for the four parties. Van Zwol said that this is due to both the number of topics on which decisions have to be made and also political choices.

Only when discussions about the content have been completed will all proposals for the person to lead the next phase of negotiations be discussed.

The negotiations will continue on Wednesday and later. There will be talks on Friday and possibly during and after the weekend.

BBB leader Caroline van der Plas said after the talks that she would attend Wednesday’s talks “with a positive mind.” Geert Wilders (PVV), Pieter Omtzigt (NSC), and Dilan Yeşilgöz (VVD) did not answer journalists.