Rutte confident as talks on new Dutch government drag on

THE HAGUE: Negotiations to form a new Dutch government, which have already lasted 100 days, will resume between four parties seeking to forge a coalition with a parliamentary majority, the caretaker prime minister, Mark Rutte, said.

His liberal VVD party would return to the negotiating table next week with the centrist Democrats 66, Christian democratic CDA and the conservative Christian Union.

Previous discussions between the parties broke down after only hours due to a row between CU and D66 over plans by the latter to expand the euthanasia law.

Rutte said on Friday he was confident this attempt, the third in as many months, would ultimately lead to a deal.

“Together we have concluded that we are looking forward to these talks,” he said.

Immigration was the leading theme in the March 15 vote and scuppered the first coalition talks with the Green Left party. Earlier discussions between D66 and CU last month fell apart when CU leader Gert-jan Segers said “a miracle” would be needed to iron out differences with D66.

Before the elections, Segers labelled D66’s proposal to broaden euthanasia from the terminally ill to people who feel their lives have been “fulfilled” as a breaking point. D66 leader Alexander Pechtold had called a coalition with the CU “undesirable”.

The tiny CU holds only five out of 150 seats in parliament but can make tough demands as kingmaker in the cabinet formation, since it is the last viable candidate to form a majority government with Rutte’s centre-right VVD, after the far right party of Geert Wilders was ruled out by all major parties.

Ultimately, a political compromise, rather than snap elections, appeared all but certain, political historian Carla van Baalen said. Another possibility, she said, was a minority government. – Reuters