Dutch election winner Geert Wilders expects government installed by end-June
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Far-right Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders has struck a coalition deal with three other conservative parties, six months after winning in the Netherlands' November 2023 election.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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AMSTERDAM - Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders said on May 22 he expected a new right-wing government to be operational by the end of June, even though he has yet to find a suitable prime minister to lead it.
Mr Wilders' nationalist PVV party was the clear winner of elections in November 2023, and last week after almost six months of tense negotiations it struck a coalition deal with three other conservative parties.
But it still unclear who will lead this government, as Mr Wilders dropped his claim to the top job months ago in order to get his prospective partners to the table.
The outspoken anti-Islam politician has not named a candidate yet after his prospective first pick, former labour minister Ronald Plasterk, said last weekend he was not available.
"I am confident we will find a solution," Mr Wilders said, in a debate on the coalition agreement, adding that he expected it would probably take another five weeks to form a Cabinet.
Mr Wilders said any new prime minister would not be kept "on a leash" by political leaders in parliament but would be expected to stick to the plans laid out in the coalition agreement.
These include proposals that would put the Netherlands on a collision course with Brussels, as they would aim for exceptions on EU migration and environmental rules and a €1.6 billion (S$2.3 billion) cut in the country's contribution to the EU budget.
The government's main policy adviser said on May 21 that the chances of achieving such goals were small, but in the debate Wilders dismissed the possibility of defeat in Brussels.
"The prime minister will have the task to go to Europe and get this done," he said. "And I trust that will happen." REUTERS
