Getty Images, Julia Goddard/Trumpet
Dutch Election Shows Political Malaise
The Netherlands is heading for a four-way, left-right coalition after an inconclusive election yesterday. The anti-migration pvv party of Geert Wilders lost 11 seats, narrowly losing first place. It will almost certainly be kept out of the next coalition government.
Instead, the winning D66 will head it up. The most logical coalition will include:
- D66, a pro-EU, pro-environmentalist liberal party that shifted to take a slightly anti-migration stance this election
- vvd, which was once the main right-wing party; think never-Trump Republicans
- GL/PvdA, an alliance between the “Greenleft” and the Labour movement
- cda (Christian Democratic Appeal), a center-right Christian party
The coalition will have a strong majority, and without the controversial Wilders, it will probably take less than six months to get a government together. But it’s hardly a foundation for strong, decisive leadership.
It’s yet another example of a sickness Europe has found no cure for since 2008. Watch for the leadership crisis to lead to the rise of a strong German leader.