Rob Jetten appoints Wouter Koolmees to lead Dutch coalition talks after the D66 election victory. Image: Anadolu Ajansi.
(The Post News)– D66 leader Rob Jetten has tasked Wouter Koolmees with starting coalition negotiations after his party emerged as the narrow victor in last week’s Dutch election. Koolmees, chief executive of Dutch Railways and a former social affairs minister, will take on the role of verkenner, or scout, to sound out potential alliances.
Speaking in The Hague, Jetten said the goal is to form a stable centrist government that reflects the election outcome. “There is one combination that offers a clear majority and a chance to move forward decisively,” he told reporters.
Koolmees Begins Talks This Week
The Dutch parliament unanimously supported Koolmees. Parliamentary Speaker Martin Bosma called him “an experienced figure we’re borrowing for a moment.” Koolmees will meet all 15 party leaders starting Wednesday and deliver a report on November 11, a day before the new House of Representatives is installed.
D66 and the Freedom Party, from the far right, both secured 26 seats, but because D66 won more votes, the first attempt at coalition building fell to Jetten. Most of the larger parties have ruled out cooperation with the Freedom Party’s leader, Geert Wilders, making a centrist coalition the most plausible outcome.
In all, Jetten seeks a four-party coalition with D66, VVD, CDA, and the GreenLeft–Labour alliance, GL/PvdA, which combined hold 86 seats in the 150-member parliament. However, VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz has ruled out cooperation with the GL/PvdA because the parties’ policies are “too far apart.”
CDA leader Henri Bontenbal has not committed to any combination, saying talks should focus on “what can be achieved.” He also left open the possibility of a minority government.
A Shift Away From the Far Right
The victory by D66 marks a sharp reversal from the collapse of the PVV-led government, which fell apart last year over migration policy. Wilders congratulated Jetten but conceded that most parties will exclude him from the next government.
Political analysts say Jetten’s positive, pro-European campaign helped counter far-right populism. “He was the anti-Wilders,” said political scientist Léonie de Jonge. “Voters liked his calm and constructive message.”
Experts, however, say the far right remains strong. “Even in opposition, Wilders will continue to influence the national debate,” de Jonge said.
Koolmees promised to “listen carefully to all parties” before releasing a report next week. The Netherlands is famous for its long coalition talks; following the last election, the negotiations took more than seven months. If Jetten manages to build a majority, he could become the youngest-ever prime minister of the Netherlands, leading a centrist, pro-business, and pro-EU government.
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