The Dutch government has collapsed after coalition leader Geert Wilders withdrew his far-right party, the Party for Freedom, from the governing partnership.
This comes less than a year after the coalition was formed between the Party for Freedom (PVV), as the largest party in the House of Representatives, and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), New Social Contract (NSC), and the Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB).
Prime Minister Dick Schoof confirmed on June 3 that he would be resigning his role, with plans to formally present his resignation to King Willem-Alexander before the end of the day.
Following an emergency cabinet meeting after Wilders’ decision to withdraw his party, Schoof said the move was "irresponsible and unnecessary".
"As far as I'm concerned, this shouldn't have happened," he said in televised remarks in the Netherlands.
Wilders has separately told media that he intends to become the next prime minister of the Netherlands "and ensure that the PVV becomes bigger than ever in the next elections”, as reported by the BBC.
What sparked the government collapse?
The collapse of the coalition was sparked by Wilders asking for 10 additional asylum measures, including freezing applications, ceasing construction of reception centres, and limiting family reunification efforts.
Despite Schoof organising a meeting for coalition leaders on the morning of June 3, the meeting lasted only a minute before Wilders walked out and formally ended the coalition.
"No signature for our asylum plans” wrote Wilders on X. “No changes to the Main Outline Agreement. PVV leaves the coalition.”
Geen handtekening voor onze asielplannen.
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) June 3, 2025
Geen aanpassing Hoofdlijnenakkoord.
PVV verlaat de coalitie.
How have other Dutch politicians reacted?
The move has sparked outrage among other political leaders, with many pointing out that Wilders’ demands are partially addressed in the coalition agreement already.
Other proposals put forward by Wilders have been dismissed based on legal concerns about how they would be implemented.
Wilders' former coalition partners have accused him of engineering the crisis, with VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz calling his decision "super irresponsible".
"This wasn't about asylum at all,” she said.
What does this mean for the Netherlands?
With just a few weeks before the Nato summit is due to be held in the Hague, it’s expected that Schoof’s ministers will continue in power in a caretaker capacity until a date is set for a Dutch general election.
With the breakdown in the government centring around asylum measures, it’s likely that this issue will be a focal point for any campaigns, at least on the side of Wilders.
