New government sworn in in Netherlands

Dutch King Willem-Alexander has sworn in a new government led by the right-wing populist Party for Freedom led by Geert Wilders. The coalition also includes the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, the centrist New Social Contract party and the Citizens’ Farmers’ Movement.

It took more than six months to form a new government. It was decided that Wilders himself would not be part of it. The leaders of other parties followed suit. The new prime minister was the former head of the secret service and former secretary general of the Ministry of Justice and Security, Dick Schof.

The main point of the Freedom Party’s program is the fight against migration. The coalition agreement speaks of the need to stop the excessive influx of migrants. The criteria for obtaining a residence permit will also be tightened.

Wilders also advocated limiting aid to Ukraine, but the party compromised on this issue. The 26-page coalition agreement says that the kingdom will continue political, military and financial support for Ukraine and will increase the defense budget to 2% of GDP.