Netherlands to form government with far-right PVV

Almost six months after the elections, the Netherlands is set to form a right-wing government with the parties PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB, Geert Wilders of the far-right PVV announced Wednesday. 

"We have a negotiating agreement," Wilders said after the four party leaders had ironed out the last kinks. His party has never been in government before. The question of who should become prime minister will be discussed later, Wilders said.

The party fractions have yet to agree on the framework agreement. This is unlikely to be a problem for the PVV and the populist farmers' party BBB. More debate is expected within the liberal-conservative VVD party and the NSC, the recently formed party of former Christian democrat Pieter Omtzigt. 

The negotiating parties started the final sprint in the formation last Monday, with long days of negotiations that sometimes lasted deep into the night. The financial puzzle was particularly challenging, according to the informants who guided the negotiations.

During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, Wilders had already said that the formation talks could not go wrong any more. On Wednesday, the parties met again to "dot the i's". 

These final talks took longer than expected. The NSC had originally scheduled a fraction meeting at 13.00 to discuss the agreement, but the parties only reported that they had reached an agreement at 16.30. 

^{Geert Wilders (PVV) at the end of the formation talks between the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB © PHOTO ANP KOEN VAN WEEL}