PVV definitely out of The Hague coalition

Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam PVV will definitely not have a role in the new city council executive in The Hague, it emerged on Friday evening.


Mediator Boele Staal has been holding talks with the four parties which won the most votes in the March 3 local elections.
But even if a deal could be reached on public safety, subsidy cuts and tax cuts, none of the other three parties are prepared to accept any form of headscarf ban in public buildings – a central issue for the PVV, Staal told reporters.
And local PVV leader Sietse Fritsma was also unwilling to allow legal experts to test if a ban would be lawful, Staal said.
Fritsma accused Staal of bias. The PVV was the second biggest party in The Hague, with just over 17% of the vote.
Labour, the biggest party in The Hague, will now look into forming a coalition with the two Liberal parties VVD and D66 and possibly the left-wing greens GroenLinks.
The PVV is also out of coalition formation talks in the new polder city of Almere, where it took most votes in the local elections. Again, the headscarf ban was the main objection.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation