King Willem-Alexander will return a day early from his State visit to the Czech Republic due to “the political situation in the Netherlands,” the government press office RVD announced on Tuesday after the Dutch Cabinet collapsed. Further, sources shed more clarity on the composition of the caretaker Cabinet after PVV leader Geert Wilders withdrew his party’s participation in the governing coalition. For now, the PVV Cabinet members walking out the door will be temporarily replaced by politicians from other coalition parties.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof’s first Cabinet came to an end after just 336 days on Tuesday. Schoof submitted the Cabinet’s resignation to the king at Huis ten Bosch palace at about 4 p.m., and left 30 minutes later.
After a Cabinet falls, it is customary for the king to speak with his permanent advisors, as well as the Vice-President of the Council of State and the Presidents of the Eerste and Tweede Kamers, the upper and lower houses of Parliament, the RVD said.
Willem-Alexander will return to the Netherlands after the first day’s program in the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Queen Máxima will be present on the second day of the program.
They were to be joined by Dirk Beljaarts, who served as Schoof’s economic affairs minister. The PVV member is no longer part of the official delegation, having resigned from the Cabinet at the urging of the PVV leader.
The PVV Cabinet members who are leaving after the coalition crumbled will be temporarily replaced by ministers from the other parties working together, namely the VVD, NSC and BBB, sources said. The coalition parties will probably make a final decision later this week about which politicians will take over the political portfolios until the elections. It took eight months after the previous Tweede Kamer election to even form the coalition.
For at least the time being, Beljaarts will be replaced by VVD Finance Minister Eelco Heinen. His party’s deputy prime minister, Sophie Hermans, will take on the infrastructure and water management portfolios from Minister Barry Madlener and State Secretary Chris Jansen. Hermans already serves as Minister for Climate and Green Growth.
Minister David van Weel (Justice and Security, VVD) will temporarily take over the tasks of Asylum Minister Marjolein Faber and Justice and Security State Secretary Ingrid Coenradie. Coenradie wanted to remain in the Cabinet, and plans to unilaterally leave the PVV over the coalition’s untimely end. Minister Judith Uitermark (Home Affairs, NSC) will also take over for State Secretary Zsolt Szabó. Foreign Affairs Minister Caspar Veldkamp will replace Development Aide Minister Reinette Klever.
It is not yet clear who will be the provisional replacement for Minister Fleur Agema and State Secretary Vicky Maeijer, both handling public health.
The Tweede Kamer will debate the fall of the Cabinet with Schoof on Wednesday morning. Schoof will make a short statement before the debate. A debate on Wednesday was already anticipated, but this was not formally scheduled until later on Tuesday afternoon.
GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans indicated that he wanted to call not only Schoof to account, but also the four coalition parties. Other opposition parties joined in on that demand.
Rob Jetten (D66) also wants to discuss how and when elections can be organised, “so that people can have their say about all the breakthroughs we are so desperately looking for.”
ChristenUnie leader Mirjam Bikker thinks it is “lousy” that “so much has come to a standstill” due to the PVV’s departure from the coalition, and wants a quick explanation from the four Cabinet parties.