Law professor Rianne Letschert has been put forward by D66 to chair the next stage of negotiations to form the next Dutch government.

Letschert will lead talks between D66, the Christian Democrats (CDA) and the right-wing liberal VVD to draw up a coalition agreement, even though the three parties do not have a majority in parliament.

The 49-year-old has been president of Maastricht University’s executive board for the last four years and was rector magnificus at the Limburg university for the previous six years.

Letschert is chair of the Nationaal Groeifonds, a government agency that invests in research and development and innovation.

She has no previous direct experience of politics, but she was a vocal critic of the previous government’s plans to limit international student numbers. Around half of staff and 60% of students at Maastricht are from other countries.

“If these various policy changes go ahead that are negative for us, we could reach the point where Maastricht University’s future viability is in danger,” she told NRC last September.

Buma hands over

Sybrand Buma, the former CDA leader and mayor of Leeuwarden who chaired the preliminary negotiations between D66 and CDA, stepped down on Tuesday after submitting his concluding report to parliament.

He said the VVD should join the talks with the aim of forming a minority coalition, though he did not rule out bringing other parties on board.

The three parties have 66 seats in the lower house, 10 short of a majority, and less than one-third of seats in the senate.

The VVD has ruled out a four-way coalition with the left-wing alliance GL-PvdA, who have 20 seats, while D66 are reluctant to bring in the hard-right JA21, whose nine MPs would still leave the government one vote short of a majority.

Buma said it was important for the three parties to seek support from minor parties, either as coalition partners or constructive opposition.

Parliament is expected to endorse Letschert’s appointment and the next stage of talks after debating Buma’s findings on Wednesday.