Wilders testifies to the fragile trust between the parties in the making

The coalition parties that want to control everything are still unable to control each other. Geert Wilders’ reaction to the choice of VVD senators to support the dispersal law shows that the four parties are still wondering what advantage they will gain from each other.

On Wednesday, Wilders minced no words in front of the arriving journalists: “We have a big problem and it will have to be solved in the next few days.” This broke the radio silence of the first few weeks of training, and Wilders linked the law of dispersion directly to the training.

Wilders torpedoed in one sentence the explanation that the VVD and party leader Dilan Yesilgöz were trying to convey. According to Yesilgöz, it was not up to her to dictate to the Senate faction how to vote. This is clear from a constitutional perspective, but it is not what Wilders wants to hear. The PVV leader wants a VVD partner he can count on. The fact that the senators of that party came out directly against Yesilgöz did not give him much confidence.

Stubborn

It is a sign that mutual doubts between the four negotiating parties remain high, despite all the press reports about the success of the talks.

The irony is that the dispersal law could help a possible cabinet composed of PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB. The expectation is that this law will lead to less dissatisfaction among the municipalities that now do the lion’s share of reception, and to lower costs and less disorder as a result of the hasty construction of centers for asylum seekers, as now happens regularly.

But something else also matters for Wilders. Unlike in 2010, when he tolerated a cabinet composed of the VVD and CDA, the PVV is now the largest party and full participation in the cabinet invites. Mistakes and controversial choices will be blamed on him much more heavily than they were then.

It needs the VVD, as the provider of 24 seats and the only one of the four parties with serious managerial experience. But the VVD has not yet recovered from the blow of the election results: the party lost ten seats. It is not without reason that Yesilgöz now hints at a role of tolerance for his party.

The VVD is also full of stubborn senators who will not let themselves be tamed by the party leadership, and mayors who have repeatedly stated the necessity of the dispersal law for their municipality. Pragmatism: This is also a product of managerial experience.

Willingness to make concessions

In turn, the other parties are wondering how many concessions Wilders has actually made and is willing to make. The PVV leader started the year by withdrawing three old controversial bills, but these were laws that had been on the shelf for years. The other parties note that Wilders has not withdrawn many proposals either.

According to someone involved in the training process, there is also irritation among training partners over Wilders’ tweeting behavior. The PVV leader, who promised to have softened during the election campaign, still sometimes has the same tendency as Donald Trump in the United States: posting sharp or angry messages on social media.

For example, last weekend In the past he called journalists “scum of the ledge”.

On Monday he wrote a short disapproving comment on the Van Zwol commission’s report on demographic prospects in the Netherlands: “Asylum and the influx of migrants must be limited much more severely,” Wilders railed on X.

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According to the participants at the training table, it is unwise and not useful to the negotiation process: substantial differences of opinion should first be discussed between them.

Governments are never formed because they realize the dreams of all the parties in formation in every detail. Governments are viable if the participating parties feel better about the alternatives: a trip to the opposition benches or new elections.

They are ready? Only about BBB, the smallest of the four, there is little doubt. Making the leap to the rest requires a high degree of mutual trust, trust that the other person won’t push you or let you fall. And that trust is fragile these days.

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2024-01-17 18:22:56
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