LONDON
The three main parties involved in talks to form a new Dutch government have chosen to create a minority government, a move that is unusual in the Netherlands, according to local media reports on Friday.
The liberal democratic party D66, which won the general election in late October, will join forces with the Christian Democrats Appeal (CDA) and the right-wing VVD to form a Cabinet. The government will depend on support from other parties on a case-by-case basis to pass legislation.
Together, the three parties hold 66 seats in the lower house of parliament, 10 short of a majority, and are 16 seats short in the upper house.
“The new cabinet team is going to have to work hard,” said D66 leader Rob Jetten, who is set to become the next prime minister. “But we think we can do it.”
The three parties plan to invite leaders from other parliamentary parties to discussions in the coming days.
Christian Democratic Appeal Henri Bontenbal described the move as “the new political reality.”
“It would be great if we could switch to a new political culture as well,” he said, in a reference to the animosity between some parties.
A spokesperson for the left-wing GroenLinks-PvdA alliance, which won 20 seats in the general election, described the minority coalition as a “risky political experiment.”
The move will lead to “unnecessary uncertainty,” the spokesperson told broadcaster NOS.
Negotiations between D66, CDA and VVD have been ongoing for several weeks. Talks will now focus on the substance of the coalition agreement.