Live – Elections Netherlands. Scout Ronald Plasterk needs more time for exploration

The scout Gom van Strien, nominated by Geert Wilders’ PVV, will start discussions with the proposed faction leaders early next week. His goal: to investigate whether a (majority) government is possible that honors the election results. It will be a complicated puzzle, which Van Strien will have a week to solve. On December 5, he must report to the House of Representatives, which will then debate the election results and the first scouting round.

Van Strien’s assignment was already complicated: Geert Wilders’ PVV is by far the largest party and will soon have 37 seats in the new House of Representatives, but a number of parties do not see anything in cooperation with the radical right party. A possible coalition partner, the VVD, has also dropped out: the Liberals will not join the government, party leader Dilan Yeşilgöz announced on Friday morning. The VVD is willing to provide tolerance support.

Eyes are now focused on Pieter Omtzigt’s NSC, who did not explicitly say after the elections that he would exclude the PVV. Only with NSC could the PVV form a government coalition, albeit a cabinet that has a minority in both Houses. The BBB may be able to join in.

Moreover, Yeşilgöz’s decision not to join a cabinet himself not only makes a majority cabinet under Wilders difficult, but also an option outside the PVV.

The second party, GroenLinks-PvdA, could in an exceptional case try to secure a majority if the PVV fails. But if the VVD does not want to be in a cabinet in any case, a center-left cabinet with NSC, D66, SP, CDA, Christian Union and Party for the Animals does not have a majority either. The BBB could help them get a majority, but that is unlikely. It would also be a particularly high number of parties for a cabinet.