Current:Home > MyPreliminary Dutch government talks delayed as official seeking coalitions says he needs more time-InfoLens
Preliminary Dutch government talks delayed as official seeking coalitions says he needs more time
View Date:2024-12-23 19:07:51
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The official appointed to investigate possible coalitions after the Dutch election won by Geert Wilders ' far-right Party for Freedom said Friday he needs more time because of reluctance by potential partners to join Wilders in a government.
Ronald Plasterk, a former government minister from the center-left Labor Party, had been expected to present his report on possible formations early next week ahead of a Dec. 7 debate in the lower house of parliament.
But in a letter to the lower house president, Vera Bergkamp, he said he hopes to report back to her early in the following week.
The delay comes after two key parties backed away from joining a coalition with Wilders. The new leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte has said she will not join a coalition led by Wilders, but would offer it support in parliament.
Pieter Omtzigt, the leader of another potential coalition partner, New Social Contract, told Plasterk he was not yet ready to discuss forming a coalition with Wilders.
Omtzigt has previously criticized Wilders’ repeated anti-Islam statements as unconstitutional. Wilders responded even before the election by saying that his long-held plan to “de-Islamize” the Netherlands are not currently a priority. He has urged Omtzigt, VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius and the agrarian Farmer Citizen Movement to join him in coalition talks.
According to official results confirmed Friday, Wilders’ Party for Freedom won 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house in the election for a clear-cut victory. An alliance of the center-left Labor Party and Green Left finished second with 25 seats followed by the VVD with 24 and New Social Contract with 20. The Farmer Citizen Movement won seven seats.
veryGood! (89)
Related
- Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown Alleges Ex Kody Made False Claims About Family’s Finances
- Four Downs and a Bracket: This Heisman version of Jalen Milroe at Alabama could have happened last season
- France’s new government pledges hardline stance on migration as it cozies up to far right
- Alabama vs Georgia final score: Updates, highlights from Crimson Tide win over Bulldogs
- Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries
- Guardsman wanted to work for RentAHitman.com. He's now awaiting a prison sentence
- 'I will never forgive you for this': Whole Foods' Berry Chantilly cake recipe has changed
- Could a doping probe strip Salt Lake City of the 2034 Olympics? The IOC president says it’s unlikely
- LSU student arrested over threats to governor who wanted a tiger at college football games
- What is 'Ozempic face'? How we refer to weight-loss side effects matters.
Ranking
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul press conference highlights: 'Problem Child' goads 'Iron Mike'
- South Carolina power outage map: Nearly a million without power after Helene
- 'Days of Our Lives' icon Drake Hogestyn, beloved as John Black, dies at 70
- A brush fire prompts evacuations in the Gila River Indian Community southwest of Phoenix
- Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcome their first son together
- Earthquake registering 4.2 magnitude hits California south of San Francisco
- 7UP clears up rumors about mocktail-inspired flavor, confirms Shirley Temple soda is real
- College Football Misery Index: Ole Miss falls flat despite spending big
Recommendation
-
Chipotle unveils cilantro-scented soap, 'water' cup candles in humorous holiday gift line
-
How Helene became the near-perfect storm to bring widespread destruction across the South
-
National Coffee Day 2024: Free coffee at Dunkin', Krispy Kreme plus more deals, specials
-
Looking Back on Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk's Pinterest-Perfect Hamptons Wedding
-
See Leonardo DiCaprio's Transformation From '90s Heartthrob to Esteemed Oscar Winner
-
2025 FIFA Club World Cup final set: Where games will be played in U.S.
-
Anna Delvey tells Tori Spelling she's not 'some abuser' after shared 'DWTS' eliminations
-
Alabama-Georgia classic headlines college football's winners and losers from Week 5