Election: prime minister fears long formation process

Changes to the process of putting together a new government after the general election may lead to a long formation process, prime minister Mark Rutte says in Monday’s AD.


Until now, the queen took a central facilitating role in working out a new coalition. She held talks with party leaders about the results and then appointed a formal negotiator to try to put together a cabinet.
However, MPs have now decided the negotiator, or informateur, will be chosen by parliament itself.
‘This is not a good thing,’ Rutte told the paper. ‘The current process is as transparent as it can be.’ The queen also brings calm to the process following the hectic campaign, he said.
Four parties
An added complication this year is that although the election is held on September 12, the new parliament will not officially meet until nine days later, further delaying the process.
Opinion polls indicate at least four parties will be needed to form a government this time round.
The longest cabinet formation process in the Netherlands was 208 days in 1977 which led to the first Dries van Agt government.

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