New parliament sworn in in the Netherlands
Two weeks after the elections in the Netherlands, the parliament has begun its work in its new composition. The 150 members of the Second Chamber were sworn in in The Hague. By far the largest parliamentary group is the radical-right Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders with 37 seats - that is more than twice as many seats as before.
It is still unclear which parties want to form a new coalition and who will become the new head of government. Right-wing populist Wilders wants to govern together with the right-wing liberal VVD of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the center-right NSC party and the right-wing populist BBB. However, the talks are proceeding with difficulty. An exploratory committee appointed by the current speaker of parliament is to sound out the chances of a coalition. He intends to present his report in the coming week.
The second largest force, with 25 seats, is the red-green alliance with group chairman and former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans. The parliamentary group of the right-wing liberal VVD has 24 MPs. The previous Prime Minister Rutte has been in office for 13 years and announced his departure from national politics in the summer. He wants to become Secretary General of NATO. He intends to remain prime minister until a new government takes office.
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The right-wing populist Geert Wilders aims to form a coalition with the VVD, NSC, and BBB in the new Netherlands Parliament, despite grappling with difficulties. The second-largest parliamentary group, with 25 seats, is the red-green alliance led by former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans.
Source: www.ntv.de
