Coalition members relieved and 'very happy' about aversion of Cabinet collapse

The attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam last week and alleged racist statements in the Cabinet led to a crisis meeting of the Dutch government on Friday. Even though the resignation of NSC member Achahbar due to discriminatory remarks about Muslims by Cabinet members further shocked the government, it was still possible for Prime Minister Schoof and the reigning parties to avert the collapse of the shaky coalition.

PVV leader Geert Wilders is "incredibly happy" that the four government parties have once again expressed their confidence in each other. "We are going to continue, so I am very happy about that," he said after hours of crisis talks in the Catshuis.

The top of the Cabinet and the faction leaders of PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB managed to prevent a further exodus of NSC ministers on Friday and thus avert an early end of the Cabinet. That is a good thing, Wilders thought, because "there are many important things in the Netherlands that still need to be done, from income policy to asylum and so on".

However, Wilders did not want to comment on the statements that prompted NSC State Secretary Nora Achahbar to resign. "I do not know what was discussed in the Cabinet."

VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz also thinks that the air has been cleared after the hours-long crisis meeting between the Cabinet and the coalition parties on Friday. According to her, there was a good discussion and it was also "an exciting day". She is very happy that they reached an agreement and that the cabinet can continue. According to her, there is a sense of responsibility among them "for the country and for our voters" to deliver "what we have agreed upon".

According to her, everyone has "a great deal of confidence in this. And above and beyond the confidence, as far as I'm concerned, there is also a sense of duty. So in that sense I'm very happy that we can continue," she said after the meeting.

Just like her coalition partner, Yeşilgöz did not want to elaborate on what exactly was discussed and said following the resignation of NSC State Secretary Nora Achahbar. The NSC member spoke of polarizing forms of interaction. Insiders reported that Achahbar was mainly concerned with racist statements about Muslims and migrants that were allegedly used by Cabinet members. The other ministers of the NSC then doubted whether they wanted to continue in the Cabinet.

The VVD leader finds the departure of the State Secretary "very regrettable", but referred to Achahbar's statement. "Of course, I am not going to interpret her words." She did report that her party colleague and Minister of Finance Eelco Heinen, who is also said to have made controversial statements, would never dismiss Dutch Moroccans as a group. "I know Mr. Heinen very well. And he would never tar groups with the same brush." ​​According to her, no one she spoke to about this recognized that he had done so.

BBB leader Caroline van der Plas also expressed her relief that a cabinet collapse had been averted and was “very happy” that the cabinet and the coalition parties had reached an agreement. However, she did not want to say what was said and discussed, nor whether polarizing statements were made by cabinet members earlier this week. "I cannot say anything about it. We have reached an agreement and have spoken very well with each other," Van der Plas said after the crisis meeting at the Catshuis.

Van der Plas says about Achahbar that it is "a pity that she is gone. I thought she was a good woman, a good state secretary. A nice woman, a sweet woman. So yes, that is a loss." She is convinced that a good one will come back.

According to Van der Plas, it was "a very difficult moment today. And we resolved that difficult moment together." She did not want to say anything about what the difficult moment entailed exactly. But "the fact that we have to come back here for crisis consultation, that of course says a lot."

It was a "fierce conversation", said Nicolien van Vroonhoven (NSC) after crisis talks with the other coalition leaders and the top of the cabinet. They promised to work on better relations. "And we also said to each other: we are going to leave each other whole."

According to Van Vroonhoven, the NSC faction wanted to "form a front around the State Secretary" in the cabinet. According to the temporary party leader, this is "very understandable". But it also had "everything to do with trust and words that were used. Words matter."

Ultimately, according to her, NSC will continue because there is "confidence" in the coalition with PVV, VVD, and BBB.