Talks on forming a new coalition government will continue next Tuesday when chief negotiator Herman Tjeenk Willink will again meet the leaders of the VVD, CDA and D66.

Tjenk Willink told a news conference on Thursday he is still committed to putting together a majority coalition. Between them, the three parties control 71 of the 150 seats in parliament, so a fourth partner has to be found.

GroenLinks has dropped out of the negotiations, leaving Tjeenk Willink with a choice of the Labour party, the Socialists or small Christian party ChristenUnie.

However, D66 has said it does not want to work with ChristenUnie, the Socialists won’t work with the VVD and Labour says it cannot be in government after its disastrous losses in the March 15 general election.

Tjeenk Willink said on Thursday that if the parties are adamant they want a majority government then they must be prepared to make compromises. ‘They cannot have it both ways,’ he said.