Dutch government falls apart over immigration; New elections upcoming

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE Netherlands AP Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof revealed Tuesday his coalition regime will become a caretaker administration after far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders pulled his ministers out of the Cabinet in a dispute about a migration crackdown The announcement completed a day of political turmoil in The Hague sparked by Wilders decision to turn his back on the ruling coalition Schoof revealed he would offer the resignation of ministers from Wilders Party for Freedom to the Dutch king He and the other ministers will remain in office in a caretaker threshold he stated reporters The decision means the Netherlands will have a caretaker establishment when it hosts a summit of NATO leaders in three weeks Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof arrives at Royal Palace Huis ten Bosch to hand in his resignation in The Hague Netherlands Tuesday June AP Photo Peter Dejong No date for a new vote has been set but it is unlikely before the fall Schoof a career civil servant who was handpicked by Wilders a year ago to lead the governing body commented he had repeatedly to coalition leaders in new days that bringing down the regime would be unnecessary and irresponsible We are facing major challenges nationally and internationally and more than ever decisiveness is required for the safety of our resilience and the business sector in a rapidly changing world Schoof announced Wilders declared his decision early Tuesday in a message on X after a brief meeting in parliament of leaders of the four parties that make up the fractious administration Wilders blames inaction on migration Wilders explained reporters that he was withdrawing his endorsement for the coalition and pulling his ministers out of the Cabinet over its failure to act on his desire for a clampdown on migration Far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders talks to the media after pulling his party out of the four-party Dutch coalition in The Hague Netherlands Tuesday June AP Photo Peter Dejong I signed up for the toughest asylum agenda and not the downfall of the Netherlands commented Wilders whose Party for Freedom is still riding high in Dutch opinion polls though the gap with the center-left opposition is negligible Coalition partners rejected that argument saying they all sponsorship cracking down on migration Prime minister appealed for leaders to act responsibly Dilan Yesilg z leader of the right-wing People s Party for Freedom and Democracy revealed before the meeting that Schoof urged the leaders to act responsibly The prime minister who appealed to us this morning revealed that we are facing enormous international challenges we have a war on our continent an economic predicament may be coming our way Yesilg z notified reporters in parliament But just minutes later the meeting was over and so was Wilders involvement in the regime I m shocked Yesilg z declared calling Wilders decision super-irresponsible Related Articles Over inmates escape and is killed as a quake prompts the evacuation of a Pakistan prison In the present day in History June the Zoot Suit Riots begin in Los Angeles Police to start new search near where toddler Madeleine McCann disappeared in UN Iran and Egypt meet to discuss Iran s nuclear undertaking as enrichment continues Britain gets a defense boost aimed at sending a message to Russia and to Trump After years in opposition Wilders party won the last ballot on pledges to slash migration He has grown increasingly frustrated at what he sees as the slow pace of the coalition s efforts to implement his plans Last week Wilders demanded coalition partners sign on to a -point plan that aims to radically slash migration including using the army to guard land borders and turning away all asylum-seekers He declared at the time that if immigration approach is not toughened up his party is out of the Cabinet He made good on that pledge Tuesday Wilders decision comes days after conservative Karol Nawrocki was reported the winner of Poland s weekend presidential runoff poll a achievement that suggests that Poland will likely take a more populist and nationalist path under its new president who was backed by U S President Donald Trump It is not the first time Wilders has turned his back on power He pledged his promotion to a minority ruling body led by former Prime Minister Mark Rutte in but walked away less than two years later after a dispute about leadership austerity measures You know that if you work with Wilders in a coalition it won t go well Rob Jetten leader of the opposition D party communicated Dutch broadcaster NOS Other coalition leaders look to uncertain political future Caroline van der Plas leader of the pro-agriculture populist Farmers Citizens Movement that is part of the coalition reported she was angry at Wilders decision He is not putting the Netherlands first he is putting Geert Wilders first she communicated Dutch broadcaster NOS Nicolien van Vroonhoven leader of the New Social Contract party that has taken a battering in polls since joining the coalition and the departure of its talismanic leader Pieter Omtzigt stated the authorities could continue without Wilders saying a minority Cabinet is definitely an option Schoof s declaration appeared to put an end to such a unit of events Opposition welcomes Wilders departure Frans Timmermans the former European Commission context chief who now leads the main opposition bloc in parliament welcomed Wilders decision He commented he would not assistance a minority administration and called for fresh elections as soon as manageable Well I think it s an opportunity for all democratic parties to rid ourselves of the extremes because it s clear that with the extremes you can t govern When things get complex they run away he reported The Associated Press