Wearing two hats, Wilders cannot yet get his formation under control

As the largest party, the PVV has a special role in the cabinet formation. PVV leader Geert Wilders patiently stood at the microphones of the assembled press on Thursday to explain that he certainly still has ‘confidence that it will succeed if we grant each other something’. He chooses his words diplomatically, clearly intended to convey that everything is under control.

Wilders wears two hats these days. He is still his old self on social media. There he is permanently in campaign mode. Wilders has also been vocal in recent days with politically harsh tweets about asylum seekers, such as that the Netherlands appears to be an ‘occupied territory’. But in the cabinet formation he wears another hat, a completely different one: that of process manager with a great responsibility to ensure that parties can work together.

Whether the negotiations will gain momentum and whether the three other parties will come and stay at the PVV table; these are the new tasks on Wilders’ shoulders. In principle, the largest party is in charge of the formation and takes responsibility for the process. During the previous cabinet formations this was the VVD, now the PVV must give substance to it. Especially in the current phase of the formation, this requires a lot of diplomatic qualities.

Does the PVV sometimes see other parties almost jumping ship?

In political The Hague everyone jumped to their feet when Wilders suddenly sounded decidedly gloomy on Wednesday about the course of the first substantive negotiations. He found it ‘a complicated question’ whether he is still positive about the outcome. From the mouth of the leader of the largest party, these are striking words in a formation. Does the PVV sometimes see other parties almost jumping ship? A day later he tried to iron out the wrinkles. Negotiations are just going on, there is little going on, is the message again.

Yet this week it has become clear again: this formation is going smoothly. For the first time, the four parties are having real substantive discussions. After almost five months, the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB have finally arrived at the core: can they bridge their differences in areas such as finance or agriculture? And especially how?

Those substantive discussions started three weeks ago. Since last week, after Easter, the negotiators have gone ‘in depth’ for the first time, as the informants call it. With agriculture (nitrogen) and finance on the agenda. VVD/NSC are opposed to PVV/BBB here. The informants wanted to hear from the parties what their priorities are and what rules the cabinet should apply in the budget. “Homework.”

Anonymously complained about each other

A week later there is unrest, with leaks and hassle. Parties anonymously complained about each other through the media on Wednesday. Despite agreed radio silence, it emerged that some parties, unclear which ones, believe that other parties do not get much further than reading out their own election manifesto.

The talks even stalled for a short time. Geert Wilders, Dilan Yesilgöz (VVD), Pieter Omtzigt (NSC) and Caroline van der Plas (BBB) initially spoke together about finances. At the end of last week, Omtzigt went to the informants. After that it was time to take a different tack. With only separate conversations between the faction leaders, three days, each with the informants. A ‘wise format’, according to Omtzigt. But it is not common in formations. It looks like mediation.

Talking about a compromise

The air has now cleared. On Wednesday evening, a ‘good conversation’ followed, according to sources from The Hague, a term that usually indicates the conclusion of a heated discussion. All four negotiators sat around the table together again. There has reportedly been talk of a compromise drawn up with the help of the formateurs, a proposal on how the four parties will approach the financial issue.

Wilders, Yesilgöz, Omtzigt and Van der Plas are expected to sit together again at the negotiating table from next Monday. Meeting the May 15 deadline will be ‘tight’, says Omtzigt. Before then, the parties must also agree on ministerial positions and the premiership.

There is no question of an impending break. The nervousness indicates that this formation is unlikely to enter calm waters for a moment. Wilders sent messages to the negotiating table on Thursday in a different hat. The public broadcaster is useless, he says. That was the one issue on which many outsiders thought the four parties would easily agree.

PVV clashes hard with other forming parties over NPO

The PVV is receiving strong criticism from the other forming parties for its position on the NPO. The broadcasters also appear to be a divisive issue on the formation table.