Dutch PM announces caretaker government after Wilders quits coalition

The development comes just weeks ahead of a planned NATO summit in The Hague and is expected to trigger snap elections in the Netherlands

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Tuesday confirmed that his coalition government will transition into a caretaker administration until a new one is formed.

 

The collapse followed right-wing lawmaker Geert Wilders’ decision to withdraw his Party for Freedom (PVV) from the ruling coalition due to differences over implementing stricter immigration controls.

 

The announcement comes just weeks before a planned NATO summit in The Hague and is expected to trigger snap elections. While no election date has been set, reports suggest that polls are unlikely before the autumn, according to the Associated Press.

 

Wilders ends coalition after migration row

 

Schoof’s resignation came hours after Wilders formally ended his party’s participation in the government, citing frustration with the coalition’s reluctance to adopt his proposed immigration policies. “If migration isn’t tackled, we’re out of the Cabinet,” Wilders had warned last week.

 

 

The PVV had tabled a 10-point plan that included drastic proposals such as deploying the military to secure land borders and refusing all asylum seekers. After late-night talks on Monday with the three other coalition party leaders, Wilders told reporters: “We’ll meet again tomorrow, but it doesn’t look good.”

 

By Tuesday, his withdrawal was confirmed, effectively dismantling the fragile four-party coalition that took office just 11 months ago.

 

Schoof’s brief tenure was marked by mounting tensions within the coalition and persistent deadlock over key policy issues—chiefly immigration.

 

A long-standing anti-immigration agenda

 

Geert Wilders has long championed hard-line immigration reforms. Despite spending years in opposition, his PVV party emerged as the largest bloc in the November 2023 general election, positioning him as a pivotal figure in the coalition.

 

However, Wilders’ frustration over delays in implementing his priorities steadily increased. Monday’s tense meeting concluded with Dilan Yeşilgöz, leader of the centre-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), openly confronting him: “If your goal is to blow things up, just say so.”

 

Caroline van der Plas of the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB) added, “The Netherlands does not like quitters,” highlighting the political gamble Wilders is taking by pushing the nation back into electoral uncertainty.

 

Wilders had previously threatened to leave the coalition in February over delays to asylum law reforms but ultimately backed down. This renewed push, however, appears to have finally succeeded in collapsing the government.

 

(With inputs from AP)