Rob Jetten Poised to Become Netherlands' Youngest Ever Prime Minister in Historic Minority Coalition
In a landmark political development, Rob Jetten, the leader of the centrist D66 party, is set to become the Netherlands' youngest ever prime minister. This follows the formation of a rare minority coalition government, announced on Tuesday night, nearly three months after a fragmented election result.
Coalition Agreement Reached After Months of Negotiations
The leaders of three Dutch political parties have finalised a new coalition deal, paving the way for an unusual minority government in the Netherlands. The liberal-progressive, pro-European D66 party, led by the probable new prime minister, Rob Jetten, will join forces with the conservative Christian Democrats and the right-wing VVD. This coalition holds only 66 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, making it a minority administration.
Rob Jetten, aged 38, expressed eagerness to commence work, stating, "We're incredibly eager to get started. We're going to do it as a three-party coalition, but we'd also like to work with other parties." He emphasised the government's focus on addressing major issues, including international and domestic security, affordable housing, migration control, and investment in the new economy.
Election Upset and Political Fragmentation
The coalition comes after D66 surged to an upset victory in the October election, spurred by what Jetten described as its "positive message." The party narrowly beat the far-right Freedom party (PVV), a member of the outgoing coalition, with both securing 26 seats. However, the PVV, led by anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders, has since lost seven seats after a group broke away in protest at his authoritarian management and alleged poor campaigning choices.
This fragmentation has left the Dutch parliament highly divided, necessitating cooperation with opposition parties to pass legislation. The new cabinet is expected to be formally sworn in by mid-February but will face challenges as it also lacks a majority in the senate, which can block laws passed by the lower house.
Unusual Coalition Choices and Opposition Dynamics
The three parties made the highly unusual decision to govern without a majority after the VVD leader, Dilan Yeşilgöz, refused to consider including the left-leaning GroenLinks/PvdA alliance, which won 20 seats, describing it as too radical. Similarly, efforts by the VVD to include the radical-right populist JA21 party were opposed by D66. Jetten commented earlier this month, "We do not consider that to be wise at this time, given everything that has to be done."
However, the GroenLinks-PvdA leader, Jesse Klaver, indicated this month that his party is open to negotiating agreements with the new coalition on a case-by-case basis, aiming to provide what he termed "responsible opposition." Klaver cited global instability and the need to "help move the Netherlands forward" as reasons for supporting the government on key issues like environmental reforms and accelerating housebuilding.
Klaver clarified that his party would draw the line on any attempts to unfairly increase the tax burden on ordinary working people, reduce healthcare funding, or relax employment legislation to make it easier to fire employees. GroenLinks-PvdA is now the largest opposition party in parliament and could potentially provide the government with a majority in both houses, following the break-up of Wilders' PVV.
Far-Right Shifts and Future Challenges
The breakaway group from the PVV, led by long-serving MP Gidi Markuszower, criticised Wilders' election strategy, arguing that "insulting Islam" was "OK" but "does not solve voters' problems," and highlighted his failure to enrol any members apart from himself. Despite this split, two other far-right parties, Forum voor Democratie (FvD) and JA21, gained seats in the election and continue to advance in the polls.
Wilders described the split as a "black day" but expressed confidence that his party would survive. As the new minority government prepares to take office, it faces significant hurdles in navigating a fragmented political landscape while addressing pressing national and international concerns.
