The fragile Dutch coalition formed around Geert Wilders’ PVV has collapsed after weeks of rising tensions, with Wilders formally withdrawing his party on Tuesday morning following a breakdown over additional asylum measures he proposed.
Wilders had insisted last week on a package of 10 additional asylum restrictions, arguing that the pace and scope of current reforms were insufficient to deliver on the promises made to voters. “The PVV has promised voters the strictest asylum policy ever,” he said in his statement. “I have presented a plan and I have asked for signatures from coalition partners. They didn’t. So I couldn’t do anything but withdraw our support. I have informed the Prime Minister that we are withdrawing the PVV ministers from the cabinet.”
“I signed up for the strictest asylum policy ever, not the downfall of the Netherlands.”@GeertWildersPVV speaks out after withdrawing his ministers from the Dutch coalition government. pic.twitter.com/ZPZvnkPcoX
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) June 3, 2025
“I have signed for the strictest asylum policy, not for the downfall of the Netherlands. This is where our responsibility ends,” he added.
The PVV leader suggested his proposals were still being resisted by both the VVD and NSC following crisis talks on Monday evening, forewarning the Dutch press after the meeting that things were “not looking good.”
VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz, whose party had reluctantly accepted a secondary role in the coalition, accused Wilders of running away. “He is not concerned with the content and the interest of the Netherlands,” she said. “This is someone who does not want to take responsibility… I am really baffled that someone can go for himself like that and let his voters suffocate.”
NSC leader Mona Keijzer had also expressed frustration, stating that she had no interest in renegotiating measures that had already been debated during the formation of the coalition agreement. The parties were unable to find common ground, and what Wilders saw as a firm mandate to act on immigration, others saw as political brinkmanship.
The collapse prompted further criticism from BBB leader Caroline van der Plas, who accused Wilders of “knowingly pulling the plug” on a coalition that could have governed. “While the Netherlands is asking for leadership, he chooses political games and threatening tweets. This is completely reckless,” she said.
Many observers, however, will see Wilders’ decision not as reckless but as principled. He entered negotiations with a clear promise to enforce the strictest asylum policy in Dutch history — a key factor in his PVV’s victory last November. With no guarantee of support from his coalition partners, continuing in the current arrangement risked diluting that agenda beyond recognition.
Whether Wilders’ move will ultimately hurt his political fortunes remains uncertain. The PVV remains level in national polls with both the VVD and the left-wing GL/PvdA on around 18 percent each. If fresh elections are called, the political arithmetic may shift decisively — and not in Wilders’ favor. Alternative coalition formations without the PVV may now appear more attractive to centrist and left-leaning parties, raising the prospect that Wilders could once again be sidelined despite topping the polls.
Van der Plas, for her part, insisted that new elections were not inevitable, hinting that other parties might seek to form a government without the PVV. For Wilders, the risk is that by walking away from the table, he may have handed that opportunity to his rivals.
But for his supporters, it may prove a bold stand — an unwillingness to compromise on the issue they care most about.
The post Dutch coalition collapses as Wilders’ PVV withdraws over asylum policy appeared first on Remix News.
Remix News
