AMSTERDAM – A right-leaning Dutch government moved closer to reality yesterday when members of parliament from the Dutch Liberals and an anti-Islam party approved a coalition deal.
Dutch Liberals leader Mark Rutte, expected to become the first Dutch Liberal prime minister in almost a century, said on public television his parliamentary group unanimously approved the deal with his Liberal party, the Christian Democrats and anti-Islam Freedom Party.
Christian Democrat members of parliament (two of whom have voiced concern over the co-operation with the Freedom Party) were to decide on the coalition agreement later in the day. A meeting of all Christian Democrat party members set for Saturday must approve it too. Freedom MPs approved the coalition deal earlier in the day.
The pact could still fall apart if it is rejected by Christian Democrat MPs or its party members, which would prolong a policy deadlock over how to cut a 5.8 per cent GDP budget deficit and deal with social discontent over immigration.
Christian Democrat members are concerned about Freedom Party calls to ban Islam’s holy book, the Koran, and halt Muslim immigration to the Netherlands, where about one million of the 16½ million population are Muslims.
Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders, who has compared the Koran to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, is on trial on charges of inciting hatred and discrimination against Muslims. The case will resume Monday.
There is little clarity on the concessions the Dutch Liberals and Christian Democrats had to make for Freedom Party support but indications they could include drastic cuts on spending for integration of foreigners, reflecting a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment in Europe.
“There will be an historic policy, which will be very different on various matters,” he said on Tuesday.
The Christian Democrats were formed out of three mainstream religious parties and ethical issues often pay a larger role than left-right divisions over economic or social policies.
Some of its members fear co-operation with the Freedom Party will further divide the multicultural Dutch society instead of bridging rifts.
Party leaders kept details of the tentative coalition pact under wraps pending discussions by the parliamentary factions later in the day and an official presentation today.
Dutch newspapers reported some details including a €16 billion figure for deficit cuts, compared to €18 billion previously, through a freeze on civil servant salaries, a reshuffling of ministries and the streamlining of local authorities and police constabularies. – (Reuters)