Government majority in senate is not essential

A cabinet without a majority in the senate can still govern, senator Fred de Graaf of the liberal VVD party, told Henk Kamp during a meeting to discuss the formation of the new government.


Kamp is currently sounding out all parties on possible coalitions, prior to appointing an informateur who will start negotiations between the most likely partners, probably the VVD and Labour.
These two parties together have 30 seats in the senate, which requires 38 seats for a majority.
De Graaf made it clear to Kamp that this should not be a problem, reports nu.nl. He pointed out that the outgoing cabinet of VVD and Christian Democrats – with the anti-immigration PVV as alliance partner – did not have a senate majority.
Support
‘They had to find support in the senate from other parties,’ he said, reports nu.nl. ‘Sometimes they succeeded; sometimes they didn’t.’
He added that the senate is very pragmatic. ‘We judge the legitimacy, feasibility and enforceability of laws, regardless of the make up of the government.’
Some pundits have suggested the VVD and PvdA bring the Christian Democrats into their alliance to ensure a senate majority.

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