"Pyromaniac in the engine room" The new Dutch prime minister and his long shadow

A non-party bureaucrat is the new Dutch prime minister. Although Geert Wilders is not part of the new government, the right-wing populist is pulling the strings in the background - and setting the cabinet's agenda.

Dick Schoof has made a promise. He will "definitely" implement the new Dutch coalition's plans for the "strictest asylum policy" in the country's history, which also aims to "get a grip on migration".

Seven and a half months after the election, in which the 67-year-old did not even stand for election, Schoof is the new Prime Minister. The non-partisan bureaucrat and former head of the secret service acts as the glue that is supposed to hold the four governing parties together, but they have been unwilling to stick together even before the start of their term of office.

And behind him is the man who actually won the election in November: Geert Wilders' Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) is clearly the strongest force with 23.6 percent. However, it becomes clear in the subsequent coalition negotiations that the controversial nationalist is no match for politics.

Wilders' agenda

In March, Wilders therefore officially resigned as head of government: "I can only become prime minister if all parties in the coalition want me to," he wrote on X at the time. "That was not the case." He also rejects a ministerial post.

Instead, the 60-year-old sets the agenda: criticism of Islam, Euroscepticism and migration are his topics, which are now also reflected in the cabinet line-up and government plans. It is therefore clear that his PVV will appoint Marjolein Faber, a woman from the right wing of the party, to the office for asylum and migration.

Faber is controversial: she once spoke out in favor of banning the Koran and mosques in order to "get rid of Islam". She accused the United Nations of pursuing a "repopulation": In doing so, she fed the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory. In a hearing prior to her appointment, the 64-year-old apologized for the term, but emphasized her concern about demographic developments.

"Pyromaniac in the engine room"

The conflicts begin even before Faber is actually in office: Amsterdam city councillor Rutger Groot Wassink causes a stir with an interview in "Parool" in which he announces that he will not answer the phone if the minister of the "far-right party" answers.

The headwind that is already blowing against the new cabinet is unusual, says Geerten Boogaard from Leiden University. This is not a good sign: "In a relatively decentralized country like the Netherlands, cooperation between the center and the local levels of government was essential," he explains to Politico.

Personal ties and civic movements helped to resolve conflicts. "These traditional ties do not exist now." However, Boogaard is concerned that a demarcation, as in the case of Wassink from Amsterdam, could also help the PVV: "It could be a greater danger to democracy than letting the pyromaniac into the engine room".

Opponent of abortion and development aid

Deputy Prime Minister and new Health Minister is Fleur Agema: the 47-year-old PVV politician wants to restrict the right to abortion. PVV man Dirk Beljaarts takes over the Ministry of Economic Affairs: the former hotel manager is also the Hungarian Honorary Consul. Reinette Klever now heads the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development: the PVV politician once called for development aid to be abolished.

The populist Farmers and Citizens Movement (BBB) takes over the housing and agriculture portfolios in the cabinet, both of which have to fight for the Netherlands' scarce land: Conflicts seem inevitable.

Pieter Omtzigt's Nieuw Sociaal Contract (NSC) party was only founded in 2023, but now holds four government posts: education, social affairs, the interior and foreign affairs ministries. The Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie (VVD) was the strongest force in the Dutch party landscape between 2010 and 2023. From now on, it will lead the Finance, Defense, Justice and Environment ministries.

On a confrontation course with Brussels

This is a colorful mix, warns Boogaard: it harbors the danger that "each political player will only stand up for their own interests in order to maintain their own voter base instead of working towards collective success". It is therefore a good thing that there are external opponents, who are named in the 26-page coalition paper "Hope, Courage and Pride".

For example, the new government initially wants to reduce the contribution to the EU. In addition, Schoof is to examine whether the freedom of movement of citizens from other EU countries can be restricted - something that Brussels cannot like.

Migrants are also scapegoats for the new cabinet: the right to asylum should only be granted temporarily. At the same time, deportations are to be faster and more uncompromising and family reunification is to be limited. The equal distribution of migrants in the country will be abolished.