Dutch government collapses as Wilders’ PVV withdraws over asylum dispute

Geert Wilders, who yesterday threatened to withdraw his Party for Freedom (PVV) from the government, followed through on his word today, leading to the government’s collapse.

On Monday, Wilders had threatened to bring down the Netherlands’ already fragile right-wing government, asserting it did not back his proposals for more stringent asylum policies.

Wilders, victorious in the recent Dutch elections, last week urgently sought backing for his plans to halt all asylum applications, repatriate Syrian refugees, and shutter asylum shelters.

Last week, Wilders had insisted the government endorse a 10-point plan designed to radically curtail migration. The plan featured deploying the military to secure land borders and deporting all asylum seekers.

His coalition partners declined to adopt his ideas, stating that the development of concrete proposals was the responsibility of the immigration minister, who is a member of Wilders’ own party.

After meeting with leaders of the government parties on Monday evening, Wilders declared this insufficient to maintain his support for the coalition.

Wilders told reporters, “We have a serious problem. We will address it again tomorrow morning, but the situation does not look good.”

Following Monday’s meeting, Wilders’ three coalition partners requested he submit tangible proposals for amending the existing agreement and voiced their frustration over his repeated threats to dismantle the government.

Dilan Yesilgöz, leader of the right-wing People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), told reporters after the hour-long meeting, “If the aim is to ruin everything, say so openly.” Caroline van der Plas, leader of the Farmer-Citizen Movement party, asserted that “the Netherlands does not like quitters.”

In February, Wilders had also threatened to pull out of the coalition if two bills restricting asylum rights were not approved, though he ultimately relented.

The coalition, spearheaded by Wilders’ PVV party, has struggled to find common ground since its inception last July. It faced daunting decisions in the upcoming months, including a landmark increase in military expenditure to meet new NATO objectives.

Recent polls indicate a decline in support for Wilders since he joined the government, with his party now polling nearly neck-and-neck with the Labour Party/GreenLeft coalition, which currently stands as the second-largest bloc in parliament.