THE HAGUE: The Dutch government will submit its resignation after the far-right Party for Freedom left the ruling coalition, Prime Minister...
THE HAGUE: The Dutch government will submit its resignation after the far-right Party for Freedom left the ruling coalition, Prime Minister Dick Schoof said.
"At a meeting of ministers, we concluded that, with the Party for Freedom's withdrawal from the coalition, we lack sufficient parliamentary support," he said in his address following the cabinet meeting. The prime minister added that he would immediately go to King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands with a request for the resignation of ministers from the Party for Freedom. The other members of the government are also resigning. A copy of the resignation request will be sent to the lower house of parliament.
Schoof pointed out that, in recent months, the cabinet of ministers had "worked hard" to implement the goals set forth in the coalition agreement. However, since one of the ruling parties was unwilling to continue working, the government became dysfunctional. Meanwhile, the prime minister called the government’s resignation "a step that could have been avoided" and emphasized that the Netherlands is facing serious crises, including those related to migration and housing.
"A year ago, I was offered the position of prime minister. I accepted because I believed I could help solve the country's problems. And I am still convinced of this," Schoof noted. He added that he will continue to serve as acting prime minister until new elections are held and a new cabinet is formed.
Earlier, Geert Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom, which received the most mandates in the previous election, announced his party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition due to a lack of support for his plan to tighten the Netherlands’ migration policy.
On May 26, during a press conference, Wilders presented his party’s plan, which presupposed closing the Dutch border with Germany and Belgium, deploying the army to guard the border, and expelling dual-citizenship migrants who violated the law from the country. Wilders threatened to withdraw from the ruling coalition if the government does not take action to tighten migration policy.
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