Informer Johan Remkes will have little patience for again long formation talks that ultimately lead nowhere. Sources around the negotiating teams say he will keep a tight schedule.
“The image is sketched here of Remkes placing the name plates of Rutte, Hoekstra and Kaag next to three chairs. Remkes then invites them through the cameras of the parliamentary press to come and sit in such a chair the next day,” says politician. reporter Arjan Noorlander. “Then try to stay away.”
But Remkes will not do that immediately on Monday. He starts by figuring out what is possible. His assignment from the House of Representatives is to investigate a minority cabinet of VVD, CDA and D66 or a combination of two parties. The one-party option is not out of the question, but it is highly unlikely.
D66 has indicated that it does not want to cooperate with VVD and CDA. Those two parties want the largest possible minority of three parties, so that support must be sought from as few other parties as possible in order to get laws and policy through.
Together at the table
But Remkes does not want to spend too much time in this discussion and will try to force the parties to make choices, for example by putting the three together at the table and having them negotiate finance, climate measures, extra money for education or the housing market.
Noorlander: “He certainly does not intend to have as much patience as former informant Hamer.” During his press conference, Remkes already showed that he does not have much to do with parties that keep putting their heels in the sand. “If that attitude stays that way, I’ll be done with it soon,” he said.
A majority cabinet has not yet been ruled out, but Remkes first wants to try to carry out his mandate from the House.
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