The Netherlands - Dutch Conservative Government of Mark Rutte on the brink of collapse

Hero Brinkman

Hero Brinkman, a key Dutch MP from the far-right PVV party of Geert Wilders has quit the party, raising serious doubts about the survival of the current Conservative Rutte government.

After leaving his party Brinkman said in a press conference; "as a convinced democrat, I can no longer function in a party that completely centers around one person. All my efforts to democratise the party have always been sabotaged."

Also in a leaked e-mail last week, Brinkman  criticized the party's much-condemned anti-immigrant hotline as a one-man ( Wilders)  show.

Rutte's minority government has a one-seat majority (76) in the 150-seat Lower House thanks to the support of Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) which has 24 seats. Nevertheless, Brinkman said he would continue to support the governing coalition on "major issues", securing its majority in parliament.

The key to the survival of the Rutte Government is now in the hands of their coalition partner CDA (Christian Democrats), which already at the beginning of the formation of the Government had been sceptical to having Geert Wilders' PVV as a pivotal part of the Government.  Today, within the CDA, several members are now openly calling for their party to leave the "sinking ship" of the Rutte Government before they also will be held accountable by the Dutch electorate for the economic mess the country finds itself in.

EU-Digest