Introductory talks on forming a new coalition government made up of the two Liberal parties VVD and D66, left-wing greens GroenLinks and Labour stalled on Tuesday.

According to the Telegraaf both VVD leader Mark Rutte did not see enough potential for detailed negotiations, particularly in terms of financial and economic policy.
However, Labour leader Job Cohen said he was very disappointed by Rutte’s decision to call a halt. ‘I was open to everything,’ he was quoted as saying in the Financieele Dagblad.
The parties are separated by just one seat in the new parliament, with the VVD on 31 and Labour on 30.
However, Rutte did leave the way open for the talks continuing at a later date and the atmosphere between the four leaders was described as very good, the Telegraaf said.
GroenLinks leader Femke Halsema told reporters she was ‘very fed up’ and D66 leader Alexander Pechtold said he was ‘disappointed’ the talks had failed.
Next moves
It is not at all clear what coalition negotiator Uri Rosenthal’s next move will be. Cohen has said he will not take part in talks to form a coalition with the the VVD and the Christian Democrats because it would lead to two parties which lost support joining the government. Labour lost three seats in the election earlier this month and CDA support almost halved.
Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam PVV said he was pleased the talks had failed because the Netherlands had ‘escaped a disaster’.
Wilders said he would again appeal to CDA leader Maxime Verhagen to join talks on forming a right-wing government. Last week those talks collapsed when Verhagen refused to take part’, saying the VVD and PVV first had to agree on controversial issues such as ethnic registration and mass deportations.