By Toby Sterling
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders on Wednesday said that forming a minority government with himself as prime minister is a possibility, following last week’s election in which his Freedom Party (PVV) won the most seats.
The two biggest right-leaning parties that Wilders hopes to work with said they are not willing to enter coalition talks with him on Wednesday, leaving him for now with no path to forming a government that would command a majority in parliament.
Speaking to reporters after his first meeting with the “scout” appointed to handle the initial phase of talks, Wilders said he would be reasonable in discussions with potential partners and did not rule out minority government scenarios.
The conservative VVD Party of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte repeated on Wednesday it would not join a cabinet with Wilders, citing the need to maintain fiscal discipline and the country’s standing in international organizations such as NATO and the European Union. The VVD is willing to offer outside support to Wilders on issues such as immigration.
Pieter Omtzigt, the leader of the centre-right New Social Contract (NSC) Party, also said he is “not ready” to enter talks with the anti-Islam firebrand Wilders, citing parts of the PVV party platform that contradict Dutch constitutional protections on freedom of religion.
Wilders’ PVV party took around 24% of the vote and needs partners to form some coalition.
The largest left-leaning party, Labour/Green Left, has ruled out working with Wilders completely. “It’s impossible, a no-go”, said leader Frans Timmermans on Wednesday, saying his party could not cooperate with a party that “does not respect the constitution and excludes large groups of people.”
Wilders’ own preference is to form a coalition with the NSC, VVD and the smaller conservative Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), which together would command a majority in both houses of Dutch parliament.
That is the “logical, right combination,” Wilders said.
Early positions often shift when coalition negotiations drag on. Talks after the previous Dutch election in March 2021 took a record-breaking 299 days.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling;Editing by Bernadette Baum and Aurora Ellis)
