6 months Ago
From the Awkward Forming to Daily Friction
The coalition was a difficult process from the start, taking eight months and multiple failed attempts. The PVV was the largest party in term of seats, but Wilders was unable to become prime minister because of political differences. Former intelligence chief Dick Schoof was eventually appointed after losing other contenders to scandal and withdrawal.
The coalition was troubled by instability during its brief existence. His weekly press conferences became forums to address internal rifts, as Wilders relegated the issue from the floor of the Tweede Kamer.
Multiple Crises and Political Confrontations
As early as August 2024, there was almost a collapse of the Cabinet in the hot budget negotiations for the VVD and the NSC to collide around purchasing power. Emotional meltdowns and public demands for the government to be dissolved underscored the fragile nature of the alliance.
In addition, in November, NSC State Secretary Nora Achahbar and two lawmakers resigned following signs of division and alleged racist comments inside the Cabinet. While Schoof protested that he wasn't racist, the incident did irreparable harm to the internal bond of trust.
By December, Wilders was openly threatening to withdraw his support for the coalition over blocked asylum reforms. The demands escalated in early 2025, when experts and the Council of State had already shot down many of the proposed asylum measures. Ironically his own minister, Marjolein Faber, had not implemented such policies but had been criticised for making divisive decisions that bore no relevance to implementation at all.
Provocative Rhetoric of Wilders' One-Man Plan Sparks Defeat
The killer was when Wilders presented a 10-point asylum plan without speaking with his coalition partners. The actual plan featured legally suspect ideas like a moratorium on all asylum and forced deportations. The other party leaders refused to concede to the plan, and so Wilders went ahead with his threat and pulled the PVV out of the coalition.
As his ministers resign, Prime Minister Schoof will offer the Cabinet's resignation to the King. A gathering of the remaining ministers is planned and a new election now seems unavoidable.
