In retrospect, it was clear from day one that Wilders "was someone who could not and did not want to", says Yesilgöz. "He puts his personal interests above the national interest. He will never take responsibility for the country, it leads nowhere at all."
The VVD leader says that she came to this decision after consulting with many VVD members during the past week. "None of them said that Wilders deserved another chance." This decision by the VVD has made it unlikely that the PVV will be able to participate in a next government coalition. Yesilgöz says about Wilders' position that there was no difference of opinion at all about the course. "Wilders walked away for the second time", referring to the Rutte I cabinet, when the PVV was a 'tolerated party' and Wilders broke with the cabinet when major cutbacks had to be made.
"I gave Wilders a second chance", says Yesilgöz. "People can't blame me for that." She believes that the last election results indicated the voters' desire for a right-wing cabinet. "We were able to agree on things that were not possible before."
Yesilgöz does not want to say whether it is now inevitable that the VVD will enter into a coalition with GL-PvdA, currently the second largest party in the Netherlands. There are more choices, she says. She does not want to exclude this party in advance because she considers that a "huge step in democracy".
"The differences in content with GL-PvdA are enormous, but I dispute them on the content." She mentions the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 as an example and speaks of a "large radical wing, especially at GL". Wilders responds to X on the VVD's decision. He says that Yesilgöz "therefore chooses GL-PvdA" and "wants to destroy the Netherlands together with the left".
(Source: NOS.nl)
