Coalition talks stop for the holidays, leaders are optimistic

Talks on forming a new coalition government in the Netherlands have wrapped up for the Christmas break with the leaders of all three parties saying they had a “good feeling” about the progress made so far.

“We have made a lot of progress on all topics over the past 10 days, including the finances,” D66 leader Rob Jetten told reporters after Tuesday’s negotiations.

Jetten said he now expects a “final agreement” between D66, the VVD and the CDA by the end of January.  In the meantime, he said, talks will take place with parties that could help the trio secure a parliamentary majority, either by joining the cabinet or through other forms of support.

Rianne Letschert, who is leading the negotiations, has asked the three parties – D66, the CDA and VVD – to use the holiday period to consider possible coalition partners.

The three parties only control 66 of the 150 seats in the lower house in parliament and are even further from a majority in the upper house.

Jetten, who is set to be the next prime minister, said he has “every ambition” to present a new cabinet by the spring half-term in mid-February. “The Netherlands is crying out for a cabinet with a clear mandate,” he said.

Christian Democrat leader Henri Bontenbal echoed that ambition and said the parties are on track to conclude negotiations by 30 January, as agreed.

The VVD’s Dilan Yeşilgöz described talks on the finances as “a difficult puzzle” but said she too is hopeful a deal can be reached by the end of January.

Letschert has given the parties “homework” on whether a fourth party should be brought in and, if so, which one. She wants a decision on that question “fairly soon after the Christmas break”.

The VVD wants to involve the far-right JA21 which has 10 seats in the lower house. But Jetten is not keen because it would leave D66 as the only “progressive” party in the administration.

He favours working with the GroenLinks-PvdA alliance, but the VVD has ruled out that option.

Formal talks between the three parties will resume in early January. The Dutch general election took place on October 29.