A major coalition crisis is brewing in the Netherlands as two of the three coalition parties, including Prime Minister Rob Jetten's ruling D66 party, reached an unusual agreement with two opposition parties on the controversial tax reform.
Dylan Jeskiglus-Zagrios, leader of the center-right VVD party that remained outside the agreement, called it "harmful to the Netherlands", said it was "contrary to the coalition agreement" and warned against a possible renegotiation of cooperation with the coalition partners. "This is not the way we should work with each other," she said. If the coalition's D66 and CDA vote alongside opposition PRO and Volt in a parliamentary vote today, she said, "we will also have to reconsider how this cooperation can continue."
D66 and CDA have already said they support the agreement and will not renegotiate it, increasing pressure on the fragile coalition. The coalition of D66, VVD and CDA is a minority government that holds 66 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 22 of the 75 seats in the Senate. This is an extremely rare coalition structure in Dutch politics.