The leader of the Dutch right-wing populist «Party for Freedom» (PVV) Geert Wilders announced the withdrawal of his faction from the ruling coalition. He announced the decision today after a short meeting with government partners.
«There are no signatures under our plans to tighten migration policy. Without changes to the coalition agreement, PVV is leaving the coalition», — he wrote on the social network X.
The crisis was caused by the refusal of other coalition members to support Wilders' plan for a radical restriction on the admission of refugees. He demanded a complete border closure, denial of the right to family reunification, and deportation of tens of thousands of Syrians.
Later at a press conference in The Hague, Wilders confirmed: ministers from his party are leaving the cabinet. «I signed up for a tough policy on migration, not for the destruction of the Netherlands. This is where our responsibility ends», — he is quoted by Bild.
Following this news, the stock index AEX decreased by 0.5%, writes Bloomberg. Now the parliament has two options: try to form a minority government without Wilders or call early elections. Thanks to the tough rhetoric, the «Party for Freedom» strengthened its position in the polls, while the ratings of his former partners — the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) and the New Social Contract (NSC) — almost collapsed, despite their success in the 2023 elections.
The current government of the Netherlands lasted only 11 months and faced difficulties from the very beginning. Despite the «Party for Freedom»'s victory in the elections, the post of prime minister went to the non-partisan former intelligence chief Dick Schoof, whose policy Wilders regularly criticized.
In Germany, the issue of migration also intensified the political situation today, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced the government's intention to continue the practice of turning away migrants — asylum seekers who entered the EU territory not through Germany, despite the decision of the Berlin court, which declared such a policy illegal.
«Until the situation at the EU's external borders significantly improves with the help of new European rules, we will have to maintain control at the internal borders», — noted Merz.
Photo: Reuters