Minority cabinet is wishful thinking and a recipe for a new crisis
in the media image: Alireza Parpaei on Unsplash
The Dutch cabinet formation is dragging on and a minority cabinet is now envisaged. Constitutional law expert Wim Voermans recently warned in ‘de Volkskrant’ newspaper that such a construction is unstable and increases the risk of a new cabinet crisis.
Forming a new Dutch cabinet is quite a puzzle: broad coalitions aren't an option, and right-wing variants face resistance. The interest in a minority cabinet of VVD, D66 and CDA is therefore growing. Together, these parties hold 66 seats, but without a majority in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Voermans points to the history of short-lived cabinets and warns: 'If you opt for a minority cabinet, you’re opting for the umpteenth cabinet crisis.'
Since 1918, the Netherlands has had very few minority cabinets, and for good reason. The last minority cabinet was dismissed after only two days. Voermans says it is wrong to make comparisons with Denmark and Sweden, where minority cabinets are a more common occurrence since our political landscape is totally different. The hope that the opposition parties in the Netherlands will work constructively to help a minority cabinet is naïve. Over the past decades, reluctance towards snap elections has turned into a yearning for them. Opposition parties, especially when tough choices must be made, will pull out all the stops to capitalise on favourable short-term polls. Constructive opposition rarely pays off electorally.
More information?
Read the full article in de Volkskrant (in Dutch)