THE DUTCH government has collapsed after far-right leader Geert Wilders withdrew his party from the coalition amid an asylum row.
Hours later, Prime Minister Dick Schoof declared he would offer his resignation.
Wilders’ PVV party was the largest in the four-party coalition, which has been in place since July 2024.
Schoof slammed the decision to pull out as “irresponsible and unnecessary”.
He added: “As far as I’m concerned, this shouldn’t have happened.”
And former coalition partners have accused Wilders of engineering the crisis – and using asylum as cover to make a lunge for power.
Earlier today, Wilders expressed his ambition to become the Prime Minister of the Netherlands and vowed to lead his party, PVV, to unprecedented growth in the upcoming elections.
In a last-ditch effort to paper the cracks, Schoof called a meeting between coalition leaders on Tuesday morning.
But Wilders walked out after just one minute – sounding the death knell for the current government.
The flash-point was supposedly a row over asylum regulations.
Wilders had demanded ten additional measures – including a freeze on asylum applications and halting the construction of reception centres.
The populist figurehead thundered on X this afternoon: “No signature for our asylum plans. PVV leaves the coalition.”
Coalition VVD party leader Dilan Yesilgoz called the move “super irresponsible”, adding: “This wasn’t about asylum at all.”
Deputy Prime Minister Mona Keijzer, from the BBB, said: “I think Wilders is betraying the Netherlands.”
The opposition socialist party – not part of the coalition – said the country had been “liberated from a political hostage situation”.
Leader Jimmy Dijk said the Netherlands had been ruled by “four right-wing quarrelsome parties that achieve nothing”.
Armida van Rij, who leads the Europe Programme at Chatham House, suggested that Wilders is pushing for a government collapse as his party’s popularity wanes in surveys.
PVV ministers will leave the cabinet, while those from the remaining three parties will continue for now in a caretaker government.
If a new election were to take place, it is improbable to occur before October, as forming a new government in the Netherlands typically extends over several months.
Analysts expect Wilders to position asylum front-and-centre of his election campaign, when it comes around.
However, this may bring him limited success given his party has been responsible for asylum and immigration for the past year.
