Current:Home > MarketsA new Dutch parliament has been sworn in after Wilders’ victory in the national election 2 weeks ago -TradeFocus
A new Dutch parliament has been sworn in after Wilders’ victory in the national election 2 weeks ago
View
Date:2025-04-15 02:20:30
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A new lower house of the Dutch parliament was sworn in Wednesday, two weeks after the far-right party of lawmaker Geert Wilders won a general election in a seismic shift that reverberated through Europe.
While the newly configured Second Chamber is now installed, talks to form a new ruling coalition remain at an early stage, with a “scout” still talking to leaders about possible combinations to succeed the last four-party administration led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
The scout is expected to send a report to parliament before a debate, likely next week, on the next step in the coalition formation process.
Rutte, the Netherlands’ longest serving premier, will remain in office until a new coalition is formed and sworn in. Talks to form Rutte’s final coalition took some nine months, a record.
Wilders’ anti-Islam, anti-immigration Party for Freedom won 37 seats in the 150-seat Second Chamber of Parliament in the Nov. 22 election, putting him in pole position to succeed Rutte. But at least two potential coalition partners are balking at some of his policy pledges that they consider unconstitutional.
The New Social Contract of former Christian Democrat lawmaker Pieter Omtzigt has 20 seats in the new parliament, but is so far reluctant to commit to joining Wilders in a coalition.
Among Wilders’ campaign pledges is for “No Islamic schools, Qurans and mosques” in the country, though his manifesto doesn’t outline how he would achieve that goal. The Dutch Constitution guarantees rights, including freedom of religion.
Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, the new leader of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy long led by Rutte, has said she doesn’t want her party to join a coalition with Wilders, but has pledged to support a center-right coalition in parliament.
The new parliament is made up of 15 different parties and includes 67 lawmakers with no experience in the national legislature.
veryGood! (52345)
Related
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Ukraine: The Handoff
- Ariana Grande’s Rare Tribute to Husband Dalton Gomez Is Just Like Magic
- The Federal Reserve is pausing rate hikes for the first time in 15 months. Here's the financial impact.
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- 6.8 million expected to lose Medicaid when paperwork hurdles return
- Seattle's schools are suing tech giants for harming young people's mental health
- Open enrollment for ACA insurance has already had a record year for sign-ups
- The Louvre will be renovated and the 'Mona Lisa' will have her own room
- U.S. Taxpayers on the Hook for Insuring Farmers Against Growing Climate Risks
Ranking
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- U.S. Army soldier Cole Bridges pleads guilty to attempting to help ISIS murder U.S. troops
- Solar Acquisition Paying Off for Powertool Giant Hilti
- The Period Talk (For Adults)
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Ariana Madix Reveals the Shocking First Time She Learned Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss Had Sex
- Florida police officer relieved of duty after dispute with deputy over speeding
- 50 years after Roe v. Wade, many abortion providers are changing how they do business
Recommendation
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
5 low-key ways to get your new year off to a healthy start
Conspiracy theorists hounded Grant Wahl's family when he died. Now they're back
Dakota Access Protest ‘Felt Like Low-Grade War,’ Says Medic Treating Injuries
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
U.S. Military Report Warns Climate Change Threatens Key Bases
Ariana Madix Reveals the Shocking First Time She Learned Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss Had Sex
27 Stars Share Their Go-To Sunscreen: Sydney Sweeney, Olivia Culpo, Garcelle Beauvais, and More