Promise to “rebuild the country after Corona 19″… Negotiations to form a new government will soon begin
Pro-European ’66 Democratic Party’ is expected to leap to second place… Pay attention to the role of the female representative Sikhrit Kach
Liberal Party led by far-right politician Wilders predicts falling to third place
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Dutch Prime Minister Mark Ruther claimed a “overwhelming” victory in general elections held on the 15th-17th (local time), AFP news agency said on the 18th.
“The Dutch voters gave my political party overwhelming confidence,” said Prime Minister Luther.
With 63% of the votes counting on the morning of that day, the Dutch ANP news agency predicted that the center-right-oriented Liberal Democratic Party (VVD) led by Prime Minister Luther would take 36 out of 150 of the House of Representatives, Bloomberg reported. VVD won 33 seats in the 2017 general election. Following that, the pro-European party, the 66 Democratic Party (D66), rose to second place with 24 seats, and the Liberal Party (PVV), led by anti-Islamic far-right politician Heit Wilders, is currently 2, with 17 seats less than the previous It was expected to be pushed to third place in the party above.
VVD’s coalition partner, the Christian Democratic Party (CDA), is expected to take fourth place with 15 seats. D66 and CDA each had 19 seats in the last election. In the results of the exit survey announced immediately after the election the previous day, it was predicted that VVD will secure 35 seats and occupy the most seats.
When VVD’s victory is confirmed as a result of the final counting, Prime Minister Luther will lead the negotiations for the formation of the next ruling coalition government. If he succeeds in forming a coalition, he will be able to continue his fourth term of office and become the country’s longest-serving prime minister. The Netherlands is a multi-party country with many political parties. Prime Minister Luther, 54, formed a coalition government this year and continued his third term in office after becoming prime minister in 2010. After German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, he is one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders.
This general election was originally scheduled for one day, but it took place over three days to maintain social distancing within the polling place due to the spread of Corona 19.
This election was the first general election held this year in Europe, where blockade continues, and was regarded as a referendum on the Dutch government’s response to Corona 19.
The Dutch government, led by Prime Minister Lüther, resigned in January due to a childcare subsidy scandal, and remained in the administrative role until the general election.
In the Netherlands, more than 16,000 people have died from Corona 19, and strict containment measures continue. The Dutch government forced bars and restaurants to close from mid-October last year, and in January this year introduced a night curfew for the first time since World War II.
However, many voters are supporting Prime Minister Luther’s response to Corona 19, so it was predicted that he could continue his fourth term before the election. VVD also showed a large dominance in previous polls.
A whopping 37 political parties participated in this year’s general election, and 17 of them are expected to get enough votes to secure at least one seat. This is two more than the number of political parties in the current parliament. Accordingly, negotiations to form a new coalition government are expected to be a difficult process over several months. In 2017, negotiations took 7 months. In order for Prime Minister Luther to form a coalition, it appears that he will have to cooperate with at least two other political parties to secure 76 seats.
Reuters said Prime Minister Luther would begin initial negotiations on the 18th to form a new government. In this election, D66’s representative Sikhrit Kakh, who is expected to become the second party, also attracted attention.
The 59-year-old was a former diplomat and served as Minister of Trade, Development and Cooperation in the Cabinet of Ruther. During the campaign, Mr. Kach presented himself as an alternative to Prime Minister Ruther, who was somewhat skeptical of the EU.
If D66 is confirmed as the second party, Kach will become the most influential woman in Dutch politics where a female prime minister has never been, Reuters said.
/ Reporter Kihyuk Kim [email protected]
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