Formation Discussions and Dispersal Law: Latest Updates from House of Representatives

“Radio silence,” said PVV leader Geert Wilders briefly when he left the room in the House of Representatives building at the end of the afternoon on Monday where the formation discussions led by informant Ronald Plasterk are being held. He did not want to say anything about the conversations behind closed doors that are entering what, according to those involved, are a crucial phase. Nothing substantive could be heard from the other three participating parties, VVD, NSC and BBB, when they left the closed wing.

Or just a little bit? As she walked away, VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz revealed an interesting detail about the dispersal law, the issue that divides her party to the core, and which has also come to play a major role in its formation. She had only heard last Tuesday that the Senate faction would vote in favor of the law. That was on the second day of the bill’s discussion. Then Member of Parliament Marian Kaljouw (VVD) said that her group would vote for the law, while Yesilgöz had still tried to suspend treatment until after the formation. She knows: the introduction of the dispersal law, which should ensure a better distribution of asylum seekers across municipalities, if necessary with coercion, will greatly complicate the formation of the PVV in particular.

Yesilgöz thus denied a report from RTL, which stated that the party leadership had known for weeks that several members of the Senate faction would vote in favor. Moreover, if it is true, Yesilgöz was surprised by her own party in the Senate. And that is also not a pleasant image at the formation table. It suggests that she doesn’t know what’s going on in her party, and that’s not good business for the others. In short, the “serious problem” that Wilders talked about last week has not suddenly disappeared.

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The formation has entered its sixth week, and the four parties are creeping closer together in a silence that is comfortable for them. Periods of silence should always suggest that ‘steps are being taken’, as negotiators sometimes call it. Because if there is no leak, everyone is still on the same mission, the idea is. The wait, it is said, is for ‘early February’, when Plasterk will inform the House of Representatives about the formation.

Prevent noise

The conversations are so closed that it is not even clear what is actually being discussed. Is the phase already over when the parties wanted to ‘look each other in the eye’ and talk about the democratic constitutional state and the principles? Without firm guarantees from Wilders that the rule of law and the Constitution are safe with him, there would be no cabinet, it was said in advance. Or are those guarantees already in place and, as Plasterk promised in a letter in December, are substantive themes now being discussed? Those who know don’t say anything about it.

It is clear that an old formation law applies again: a formation should last as short as possible if the parties want to avoid noise. The longer the formation lasts, the more incidents during that formation will determine the conversations. These incidents lead to irritations that need to be discussed, and before you know it the atmosphere is below par. An infamous example is the failed formation between CDA and PvdA in 2003, when the war in Iraq broke out and disrupted the already chilly atmosphere at the table.

The distribution law can now be an issue that disrupts the atmosphere at the table

The distribution law may now be such an issue. In any case, the attitude of the VVD faction has changed the relations at the table. The VVD suddenly has some explaining to do and must provide guarantees that such a lack of party discipline will not happen again. In the eyes of Wilders, BBB has actually proven itself to be a loyal partner. With sixteen seats, BBB is the largest party in the Senate, and the Senate faction announced that it would vote unanimously against the dispersal law on Tuesday. This strengthens the position of negotiator Caroline van der Plas. And that would allow her to ask for just a little more.

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BBB wants to vote unanimously against the dispersal law in the Senate

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2024-01-22 20:44:25
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