Deputy Prime Ministers find Cabinet’s fall regrettable; PVV’s Agema stepping down

After Prime Minister Dick Schoof announced the collapse of his first Cabinet, his coalition’s top deputies put the blame squarely on the PVV and its leader, Geert Wilders. He announced his party’s withdrawal from the governing coalition after refusing to accept anything short of his unilateral demands on asylum policy, even though the coalition largely agreed with his wishes.

It was enough to prompt PVV Deputy Prime Minister Fleur Agema to confirm her departure from the Cabinet, while BBB Deputy Prime Minister Mona Keijzer accused PVV leader Geert Wilders of “betraying the Netherlands.”

Justice State Secretary Ingrid Coenradie said she will leave the PVV altogether, although she would have preferred to stay in the Cabinet. Fellow PVV minister Marjolein Faber, who handled the asylum portfolio, also announced her resignation, saying she will step down with her head held high.

Agema called the coalition collapse “a great shame” and praised her colleagues from the other parties for their efforts. She voiced frustration over how little could be achieved with such a divided coalition and specifically criticized the paralysis of asylum policy—despite that being managed by her party colleague, Faber.

Asked whether she plans to return to the Tweede Kamer, Agema declined to confirm, saying only that she intends to take a holiday for a few weeks.

Deputy Prime Minister Eddy van Hijum, a member of the New Social Contract (NSC) and minister for social affairs, expressed deep disappointment over the coalition’s breakdown.

“I am extremely disappointed that we cannot continue any further. One party is now walking away, which is extremely regrettable,” he said.

When asked if he regretted NSC’s controversial decision to partner with the PVV after the Tweede Kamer elections, Van Hijum replied, “I’m glad we took responsibility, because people expect those issues to be addressed.” He added, “We have been able to start tackling a number of issues, including migration and labor migration.”

Keijzer, who also serves as housing minister, strongly condemned Wilders for ending the coalition talks.

“To solve the problems in the Netherlands as a Cabinet, we held a large majority in the Tweede Kamer,” she said. “The rug has been pulled out from under that, without arguments.”

Referring directly to Wilders, she added, “I think he is betraying the Netherlands.” She accused him of giving up when things got difficult. “Why? Because he couldn’t handle it anymore? Because he found it tense? Come on, be a man and stand up for this when things get tough.”

VVD Deputy Prime Minister Sophie Hermans did not speak to reporters after the emergency Cabinet meeting. She was later seen at the Tweede Kamer.

Earlier in the day, VVD party leader Dilan Yeşilgöz also criticized Wilders for abandoning the negotiations. While he continued to push for strict asylum measures, she said she had proposed jointly submitting a motion to the Tweede Kamer to develop concrete policy addressing PVV’s demands.

“But he’s not actually concerned about asylum,” Yeşilgöz said. “The only thing I can see here is someone who does not want to bear responsibility—who is abandoning his voters. There really will not be a right-wing Cabinet after this. That is what makes me so afraid.”

Yeşilgöz also compared the situation to the collapse of Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s first Cabinet, a VVD-CDA coalition that was propped up by the PVV. Wilders withdrew support in 2012 over a package of austerity measures during the eurozone crisis. That move prompted Rutte to declare he would no longer work with Wilders in government—though the two had once been VVD colleagues before Wilders founded the PVV.