New attempt in search for coalition in the Netherlands The Ghanaian president dismisses ten ministers

Almost three months after the election victory of Dutch right-wing populist Geert Wilders, a new attempt at coalition building has begun. Parliament appointed a new probator, the chairman of the influential Social-Economic Council, Kim Putters.

He should explore the possibilities of forming a government. Putters spoke in The Hague on Thursday about a difficult task ‘in a complicated political landscape’.

The new explorer is a social democrat, yet he was proposed for this task by Wilders. Putters now wants to talk to all parliamentary faction leaders.

Coalition negotiations between four right-wing parties failed last week. The center-right NSC party broke off the talks. She does not want to govern together with Wilders’ radical right party. This means that the formation of a right-wing majority government is impossible.

However, the right-wing liberal VVD of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the protest party BBB want to continue negotiations with Wilders. However, such an alliance would not have a majority in parliament. The NSC might tolerate a right-wing minority government. Another option put forward by the four right-wing parties was the formation of a so-called “extra-parliamentary cabinet”. However, no details are known yet about what such an option might actually look like.

Wilder’s PVV had won 37 of the 150 mandates at the end of November. Until now he had never been in a government, because all established parties had ruled out cooperation with him. But the right-wing liberal VVD broke through this shortly before the elections. (saw/sda/dpa)