Wilders in coalition talks: are his concessions enough?
The process of forming a new coalition government in the Netherlands continued in the city of Hilversum last week. Geert Wilders has promised to withdraw three controversial own-initiative proposals in order to accommodate potential coalition partners. But is that enough to persuade Pieter Omtzigt, leader of the New Social Contract (NSC) party? Professor Wim Voermans, expert in Constitutional Law, discusses this in Dutch talk show Op1.
In November 2023, Voermans conducted a constitutional review of the PVV election programme, which showed that 20 of the nearly 100 party policies clashed with either the Dutch Constitution or an international treaty. The three own-initiative proposals withdrawn by Wilders include banning the Quran and mosque attendance.
While this is a ‘good start,’ Voermans notes that the Party for Freedom (PVV) has previously proposed other controversial bills ‘that have been shelved’. Those bills have mainly concerned Islam, harsher sentencing, dual nationality, a burqa ban and lowering the age of criminal responsibility.
Voermans doubts whether Wilders' concessions will be enough to convince Omzigt to form a coalition government.
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