A ‘purple plus’ cabinet made up of the two Liberal parties, GroenLinks and Labour is the best reflection of the general election result, cabinet negotiator Herman Tjeenk Willink said after briefing the queen on his progress on Monday.

The four party combination has a net gain of 16 seats, Tjeenk Willink said (VVD+9, D66+10, GL+3 and Labour -3).
By contrast, VVD leader Mark Rutte’s preferred combination of the VVD, CDA and anti-Islam PVV only represents a gain of four seats, because of the 20 seats lost by the CDA. And the left-centre-right option means a loss of 14 seats.
Attitude
Nevertheless, the discussions will be difficult, Tjeenk Willink said. The four parties must change their attitude from ‘I don’t want to work with you’ to ‘I do want to work with you’,’ he said. ‘And that will take a lot of time.’
Formal talks between the two parties and two new negotiators, Jacques Wallage and Uri Rosenthal, will begin on Monday afternoon.
The four parties and Tjeenk Willink decided at the weekend there is enough common ground between them to begin talks on creating a ‘purple plus’ cabinet. The name comes from the combination of party colours.
‘I dare to start these negotiations but it will be a hell of a job. The differences are major,’ VVD leader Mark Rutte said.
Labour leader Job Cohen also said he expected ‘tough talking’. ‘There are differences, but there is trust between us,’ the NRC quoted him as saying.