Second Balkenende cabinet
Encyclopedia
The second cabinet
of Jan Peter Balkenende
of the Netherlands
formed on 27 May 2003. It consisted of three political parties: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
(VVD), Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA), and Democrats 66
(D66), which is the smallest of the three.
On 29 June 2006, D66 dropped its support for the coalition. The next day, Prime Minister Balkenende offered the resignation of the cabinet to Queen Beatrix
. Based on advice from the parliament, the Queen suggested a CDA-VVD minority government
should be formed. The third Balkenende cabinet
was installed on 7 July 2006.
(minister of Justice for the CDA in the previous cabinet) to lead the coalition negotiations. The negotiations for the coalition were lengthy. Initially the CDA preferred to continue its right-wing
coalition with the VVD, but they did not have sufficient seats in the House of Representatives to continue in government without the support of a third party. Another coalition with Pim Fortuyn List would be likely to be unpopular with voters after the events of the first Balkenende cabinet
, and D66 was unwilling to join such a coalition. A government supported by the orthodox Protestant
Reformed Political Party
(Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) and the Christian democratic
ChristianUnion
(ChristenUnie, CU) was opposed by the VVD.
A long negotiation between CDA and the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) followed. The PvdA and CDA had come out of the elections as equal partners. The negotiations were troubled by the invasion of Iraq
, the bad economic forecasts and personal animosity between the leader of the CDA Balkenende and leader of the PvdA Wouter Bos
. After a couple of months talks were called off by Balkenende. At this point, D66 decided to join the coalition after all. The cabinet was based on a very slim majority in parliament of 78 seats out of 150. When VVD MP Geert Wilders
left his party on 2 September 2004 (continuing as a one-man party), the narrow majority of the second Balkenende cabinet slimmed down even further to 77 seats in the House of Representatives.
The cabinet seeks to address the problems of integration of ethnic minorities (participation), the economic recession (more employment) and the lack of trust in government (Fewer Regulations).
and Turkey
. To solve this problem this cabinet has tried to reduce the influx of migrants, and to force migrants to take an integration course. The cabinet appointed Rita Verdonk
as a minister
especially for this issue. She is one of the most controversial ministers of the cabinet.
The number of immigrants allowed into the Netherlands was reduced by enforcing the asylum-seekers law of 2000 rigidly. This law was created under the second Kok cabinet by the current mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen
. Controversially, 26,000 asylum-seekers who had lived in the Netherlands for over five years but who had not been granted asylum were deported. Furthermore, partners of Dutch citizens are only allowed to immigrate into the Netherlands if the Dutch partner earns more than 130 percent of the minimum income.
Every person who wants to immigrate into the Netherlands must pass an integration test. It tests the applicant's knowledge of the Dutch language
, political system
and social conventions. The test must be taken before entering the Netherlands, preferably in a Dutch Embassy in the country of origin. Oudkomers, migrants who have lived in the Netherlands for a long time, but have not integrated into Dutch society, were requested by the Dutch government to take the exam as well.
The cabinet has implemented a new law for disability pension
s. Most people enjoyed disability pensions under the old disability law received pensions even if they were only partially disabled and could still work. The pensions of these people have been cut, and so they are forced to return to the workforce. Furthermore, the cabinet has limited the possibility of early retirement. Without exception all Dutch employees will be forced to work until they have become 65, possibly longer.
The cabinet also has cut government spending by 5700 million euro
, making a total of 11 billion euro, when combined with the cuts announced by the previous cabinet. Among other measures, free dental care, physiotherapy and anti-conception medication were cut, 12000 positions were to be eliminated in the armed forces and some of their bases closed, the link between benefit payment rates and salaries was to be broken, and the rental housing subsidy was reduced. At the same time, 4 billion euro in extra spending was made available, mainly in education and justice.
. The cabinet also appointed a special minister for this, issue: Thom de Graaf, who proposed an ambitious reform proposal, but met much resistance. Two of the most important proposals were the directly elected mayor and the election system.
The Netherlands is one of the last countries in Europe not to have an elected mayor
, instead he is appointed by the Crown. In order to change this the constitution
has to be amended. A proposal to do this by Minister De Vries
in 2001, under the second Kok cabinet, was rejected in second reading by the Senate. This was because it would allow the controversial plans of De Graaf to be implemented. This would involve a mayor, directly elected by the city's population, who would have considerable power to take care of security and public order.
The proposed election system would mirror the election system of Germany: proportionality would be preserved, but they would be supplemented by regional candidates.
Both proposals were withdrawn after the Easter Crisis (see below at mutations). The current minister of Institutional Reform, Pechtold, will institute two councils, one composed of specialists and one of citizens, who would propose a new election system.
The left-wing parties in parliament are critical of this government. They perceive the policy on migration and integration as too hard and causing polarization between Dutch people and immigrants, and the economic reforms and budget cuts as untimely, because of the recession.
The extra-parliamentary movement "Keer het Tij" (Turn the Tide) has organized mass demonstrations against the government. Important partners within Keer het Tij are the three main left-wing political parties, PvdA, SP
and GroenLinks), the largest trade union, the FNV
, environmental organisations like Greenpeace
and Milieu Defensie, and organisations of migrants. In 2004 they organized a political demonstration in the Hague. At the time the negotiations between the cabinet, the employers and the unions on early retirement had broken off, with the union leaders promising a "hot autumn".
Most international criticism comes from Belgium
. Two ministers, the liberal
minister of Foreign Affairs De Gucht
and the Socialist vice-prime minister Van den Bossche
of the purple Cabinet Verhofstadt II
, have criticized the style of the Dutch cabinet, calling the prime minister Balkenende "Petty Bourgeois".
Criticism also rose out of the ranks of the largest government partner, the CDA. The former Christian-Democratic Prime Minister Dries van Agt
and former leader of the parliamentary party, De Vries, criticized the cabinet for its anti-social policy. Minister Pechtold has opposed cabinet policy on terrorism and drug law in the media, breaking the unity of cabinet.
Of the 26, 18 were also in the first Balkenende cabinet
. This is indicated by an asterisk
(*) in the list below.
In June 2004 a personal conflict between State Secretary for Higher Education Nijs and Minister of Education Van der Hoeven caused the departure of Nijs. This in turn caused a reshuffle: State Secretary for Social Affairs Rutte became State Secretary for Higher Education and Henk van Hoof (a state secretary in previous cabinets) became State Secretary for Social Affairs.
In March 2004 Minister for Institutional Reform and Kingdom Affairs De Graaf resigned after the rejection of the constitutional amendment that would allow for elected mayors. A government crisis erupted when all the three D66 ministers considered resigning. The plans for institutional reform were watered down in exchange for more money for education in the so-called Easter Accord (because it was signed on the day before Easter
) and D66 continued to support the cabinet. De Graaf was succeeded by the mayor of Wageningen
Pechtold. The position of Deputy Prime Minister was taken up by Minister of Economic Affairs Brinkhorst.
In February 2006 another crisis loomed when the D66 parliamentary party led by Boris Dittrich refused to agree to a military ISAF
mission in Uruzgan. When opposition party PVDA decided to change their vote and support the mission D66 backed down and Dittrich resigned as parliamentary leader.
State Secretary for Higher Education Mark Rutte left the cabinet to become parliamentary leader of the VVD on 28 June 2006. He was supposed to be succeeded by former alderman of The Hague Bruno Bruins
, but the cabinet fell before he could be installed.
lost the support of the coalition party D66 over the Ayaan Hirsi Ali
identity fraud controversy.
Hirsi Ali had signed a statement in which she expressed regret that she had misinformed the Minister regarding her name. On 28 June she made it known this statement was coerced. In a parliamentary debate on 28 June extending into the next day Verdonk and the Prime Minister maintained that the purpose of this statement was a legal one: Hirsi Ali was required to declare her intention to keep the name Hirsi Ali in order for her to retain her passport. However, in a crucial moment during the debate, the Prime Minister, in reply to a question by member of parliament, Van Beek, asking about the purpose of the apology, answered that "it was a statement that the Minister for Integration and Immigration had to be able to live with". This statement was interpreted widely as political deal making by Verdonk at the expense of Hirsi Ali and not just a legality.
As a result, coalition party D66 supported the motion of no confidence
against the Minister initiated by opposition party GroenLinks
in very strong words, stating that either the minister had to go, or that D66 would leave the cabinet. This motion did not get a majority vote. Later in the day on 29 June the Prime Minister issued a statement declaring that the ministers unanimously declared that the rejected motion did have no consequences for the cabinet (as it was not supported, the minister was not forced to go). The chairman of the parliamentary D66 group, Lousewies van der Laan
then declared in a new parliamentary session that D66 could no longer support the entire cabinet.
The apparent differences between the D66 cabinet minister opinion (that the rejected motion did not mean that Verdonk had to go), and from the D66 parliamentary group (that D66 support to the motion meant she had to) resulted in some tense hours where it appeared that the two D66 cabinet ministers Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
and Alexander Pechtold
had broken away from their party, supporting the cabinet but not their party member Lousewies van der Laan
. However in a reconvened parliamentary session later that evening Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
announced that he and Alexander Pechtold
had resigned and supported their parliamentary party in this issue. The apparent difference was based on legality. As the VVD and CDA members of the cabinet did not want to fire minister Verdonk, as members of the cabinet the D66 ministers could do nothing but state the obvious legal fact that an unsupported motion has no legal consequence. The political decision to leave the coalition was subsequently made by the parliamentary group.
Shortly after Prime Minister Balkenende announced that all remaining members of the cabinet would offer their resignations (portfolios) to Queen Beatrix.
At the conclusion of that day it was expected that new elections would be called for, which could be held in October 2006 at the earliest. Unlike the election process in for instance the United Kingdom
where elections take place 4 weeks after its announcement, in the Netherlands it can take months between announcing elections and election day itself.
In the meantime VVD and CDA blamed D66 for the cabinet's demise: they argued that Verdonk did in fact respect the wishes of parliament when she ordered the re-examination of Hirsi Ali's passport position. Mark Rutte
on his first day as parliamentary leader of the VVD was especially furious with D66, labeling their actions as scandalous. Lousewies van der Laan
countered that she wanted only Verdonk and not the entire cabinet to resign, and that it was about the coerced statement, which she interpreted as abuse of power by the minister. She blamed VVD and CDA for deciding to keep Verdonk as minister.
The newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad
(FD) on 30 June commented that it was highly unusual for a cabinet to resign even when they had survived the 29 June motion of no confidence
. According to the FD, Balkenende made an expensive miscalculation and the coalition was not able to cope with accumulation of governmental screw ups, ego maniacal told-you-so attitude and political profiteering. As Prime Minister, Balkenende should have steered his cabinet around the pitfalls.
The Volkskrant on the same day commented that D66 never was a strong supporter for this center-right cabinet and least of all a supporter of Verdonk. The newspaper described Balkenende as a poor leader with his ministers failing to acknowledge him. In short the cabinet slipped over a banana skin according to this paper.
NRC Handelsblad
's main editorial praised D66 and put the blame on Balkenende for not being able to limit the damage to a single minister, the paper questioned whether the CDA should maintain him as their political leader.
The timing of the cabinet collapse was poorly chosen for the two remaining coalition parties: the economy was improving after 3 years of harsh reforms and little growth; finally more people were working and unemployment rates showed a decline. The reforms initiated three years ago (one of them a 20 billion euro spending cut) were also starting to deliver results. It was felt that CDA and VVD have not been able to benefit from it to its full potential.
The polls already showed improved voter support for VVD and CDA compared to the record-low results the year before. The 29 June Nova poll allots 38 seats to the CDA, 31 seats to the VVD and 3 seats in parliament to D66; a majority requires 76 seats.
With the collapse of the cabinet new initiatives that were jeopardized were a proposed economic liberalization
for gas utility companies, new regulations and new rules for competition regulator
s and liberalizations in the subsidized housing market. A demissionary cabinet
would no longer be able to tackle these issues but a minority government
still could.
On 30 June 2006 the Prime Minister met with Queen Beatrix offering the resignation of the two D66 ministers and offering the Portfolio of the other ministers. Balkenende expressed his preference for a minority government, a so-called rompkabinet
. Maxime Verhagen
of the CDA and Mark Rutte
(VVD) also gave their support for this solution when they were invited for consultation with Beatrix. Two important considerations for them were the imminent Dutch military NATO mission to Uruzgan Afghanistan
and Budget Day in September 2006 which decides much of policy making for the year 2007.
The main opposition leaders were in favor of a demissionary cabinet
(without authority for new policies) and elections as soon as possible.
On 1 July, Alexander Pechtold
in an interview with NRC Handelsblad
raised his suspicion that VVD and CDA had already for a long time been prepared to drop D66 from the coalition in favor of the support of Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) in a minority cabinet. According to Pechtold it would explain the reluctance of VVD and CDA ministers to offer constructive solutions at the height of the crisis. The LPF on numerous occasions expressed their support for a minority cabinet adding the irony that after the first Balkende cabinet failed in 2003 because of the destructive attitude of LPF, it seems again the same LPF to replace D66.
) appointed Minister of State
and former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Ruud Lubbers
as so-called informateur to see if a so called 'rump cabinet
' could be formed. This would be a cabinet of CDA and VVD with a minority of seats in parliament. This cabinet would therefore have to seek support from one or more opposition parties for every decision. General elections at this stage were planned to take place in November 2006. According to Lubbers the prospective third Balkenende cabinet
should be based on the coalition agreement
of 2003 and the more recent Easter Accord.
This information was expected to take until 7 July with elections set at 22 November 2006 but Lubbers was able to present his final conclusions to the Queen already on 5 July. Balkenende was then appointed as the so-called formateur with the actual task of forming a new cabinet, appoint new ministers and presenting a formal cabinet statement to parliament, completed on 7 July 2006.
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
of Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
formed on 27 May 2003. It consisted of three political parties: People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
(VVD), Christian Democratic Appeal
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
(CDA), and Democrats 66
Democrats 66
Democrats 66 is a progressive and social-liberal political party in the Netherlands. D66 was formed in 1966 by a group of politically unaligned, young intellectuals, led by journalist Hans van Mierlo. The party's main objective was to democratise the political system; it proposed to create an...
(D66), which is the smallest of the three.
On 29 June 2006, D66 dropped its support for the coalition. The next day, Prime Minister Balkenende offered the resignation of the cabinet to Queen Beatrix
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
. Based on advice from the parliament, the Queen suggested a CDA-VVD minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
should be formed. The third Balkenende cabinet
Third Balkenende cabinet
The third Balkenende cabinet was formed on 7 July 2006 after a crisis in and the subsequent resignation of the second Balkenende cabinet. This demissionary minority cabinet of Christian Democratic Appeal and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy was negotiated by former prime minister Ruud...
was installed on 7 July 2006.
Formation
On 24 January 2003, Queen Beatrix asked Piet Hein DonnerPiet Hein Donner
Jan Pieter Hendrik "Piet Hein" Donner is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He is the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010....
(minister of Justice for the CDA in the previous cabinet) to lead the coalition negotiations. The negotiations for the coalition were lengthy. Initially the CDA preferred to continue its right-wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
coalition with the VVD, but they did not have sufficient seats in the House of Representatives to continue in government without the support of a third party. Another coalition with Pim Fortuyn List would be likely to be unpopular with voters after the events of the first Balkenende cabinet
First Balkenende cabinet
The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 16 October of the same year. The term of 87 days was the shortest since the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn .Following the 15 May 2002...
, and D66 was unwilling to join such a coalition. A government supported by the orthodox Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
Reformed Political Party
Reformed Political Party
The Reformed Political Party is an orthodox Protestant Dutch political party. The term Reformed is not a reference to political reform, but is a synonym for Calvinist. The SGP is the oldest political party in the Netherlands in its current form, and for its entire existence has been in opposition...
(Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) and the Christian democratic
Christian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
ChristianUnion
ChristianUnion
The ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
(ChristenUnie, CU) was opposed by the VVD.
A long negotiation between CDA and the Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) followed. The PvdA and CDA had come out of the elections as equal partners. The negotiations were troubled by the invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, the bad economic forecasts and personal animosity between the leader of the CDA Balkenende and leader of the PvdA Wouter Bos
Wouter Bos
Wouter Jacob Bos is a Dutch management consultant and former politician of the Labour Party . He was Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister in the Cabinet Balkenende IV from February 22, 2007 till February 23, 2010...
. After a couple of months talks were called off by Balkenende. At this point, D66 decided to join the coalition after all. The cabinet was based on a very slim majority in parliament of 78 seats out of 150. When VVD MP Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
left his party on 2 September 2004 (continuing as a one-man party), the narrow majority of the second Balkenende cabinet slimmed down even further to 77 seats in the House of Representatives.
Policy
The cabinet program is based around the slogan: Mee doen, Meer Werk, Minder Regels (Participation, More Jobs, and Fewer Rules).The cabinet seeks to address the problems of integration of ethnic minorities (participation), the economic recession (more employment) and the lack of trust in government (Fewer Regulations).
Migration and integration policy
The most controversial issue the cabinet addressed is the perceived lack of integration of ethnic minorities, especially immigrants from MoroccoMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. To solve this problem this cabinet has tried to reduce the influx of migrants, and to force migrants to take an integration course. The cabinet appointed Rita Verdonk
Rita Verdonk
Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk is a retired Dutch politician initially of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy until she was expelled in October 2007, she later formed her own party Proud of the Netherlands . She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets...
as a minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
especially for this issue. She is one of the most controversial ministers of the cabinet.
The number of immigrants allowed into the Netherlands was reduced by enforcing the asylum-seekers law of 2000 rigidly. This law was created under the second Kok cabinet by the current mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen
Job Cohen
Marius Job Cohen is a Dutch social democratic politician and former legal scholar of Jewish background. Since 2010 he has been the leader of the Labour Party and since June 17, 2010 he has been a member of the House of Representatives, where he also is the Parliamentary group leader of the Labour...
. Controversially, 26,000 asylum-seekers who had lived in the Netherlands for over five years but who had not been granted asylum were deported. Furthermore, partners of Dutch citizens are only allowed to immigrate into the Netherlands if the Dutch partner earns more than 130 percent of the minimum income.
Every person who wants to immigrate into the Netherlands must pass an integration test. It tests the applicant's knowledge of the Dutch language
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, political system
Politics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
and social conventions. The test must be taken before entering the Netherlands, preferably in a Dutch Embassy in the country of origin. Oudkomers, migrants who have lived in the Netherlands for a long time, but have not integrated into Dutch society, were requested by the Dutch government to take the exam as well.
Economic reform
The cabinet took power at a time when the Netherlands' economy was in poor shape, with increasing unemployment and slight economic contraction. In order to jump start economic growth, the cabinet has proposed tax cuts and reform of the system of social welfare.The cabinet has implemented a new law for disability pension
Disability pension
A disability pension is a form of pension given to those people who are permanently or temporarily unable to work due to a disability. It is distinct from welfare.- North America :...
s. Most people enjoyed disability pensions under the old disability law received pensions even if they were only partially disabled and could still work. The pensions of these people have been cut, and so they are forced to return to the workforce. Furthermore, the cabinet has limited the possibility of early retirement. Without exception all Dutch employees will be forced to work until they have become 65, possibly longer.
The cabinet also has cut government spending by 5700 million euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
, making a total of 11 billion euro, when combined with the cuts announced by the previous cabinet. Among other measures, free dental care, physiotherapy and anti-conception medication were cut, 12000 positions were to be eliminated in the armed forces and some of their bases closed, the link between benefit payment rates and salaries was to be broken, and the rental housing subsidy was reduced. At the same time, 4 billion euro in extra spending was made available, mainly in education and justice.
Institutional Reform
Another controversial issue is the reform of the Dutch political system. This was proposed in order to overcome the 'gap between politics and citizens', which became clear in the 2002 elections, which were dominated by the right-wing populist Pim FortuynPim Fortuyn
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List ....
. The cabinet also appointed a special minister for this, issue: Thom de Graaf, who proposed an ambitious reform proposal, but met much resistance. Two of the most important proposals were the directly elected mayor and the election system.
The Netherlands is one of the last countries in Europe not to have an elected mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
, instead he is appointed by the Crown. In order to change this the constitution
Constitution of the Netherlands
The Constitution of the Netherlands is the fundamental law of the European territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The present constitution is generally seen as directly derived from the one issued in 1815, constituting a constitutional monarchy. A revision in 1848 instituted a system of...
has to be amended. A proposal to do this by Minister De Vries
Klaas de Vries (politician)
Klaas George de Vries is a member of the Dutch House of Representatives for the PvdA. De Vries has had a long political career: he has been a member of parliament for more than 15 years, he has been a minister, and was involved in forming both Kok cabinets.-Career before politics:After attending a...
in 2001, under the second Kok cabinet, was rejected in second reading by the Senate. This was because it would allow the controversial plans of De Graaf to be implemented. This would involve a mayor, directly elected by the city's population, who would have considerable power to take care of security and public order.
The proposed election system would mirror the election system of Germany: proportionality would be preserved, but they would be supplemented by regional candidates.
Both proposals were withdrawn after the Easter Crisis (see below at mutations). The current minister of Institutional Reform, Pechtold, will institute two councils, one composed of specialists and one of citizens, who would propose a new election system.
Opposition to policy
The cabinet is facing opposition, from the official opposition in parliament, from an extra-parliamentary movement, from international circles and from within.The left-wing parties in parliament are critical of this government. They perceive the policy on migration and integration as too hard and causing polarization between Dutch people and immigrants, and the economic reforms and budget cuts as untimely, because of the recession.
The extra-parliamentary movement "Keer het Tij" (Turn the Tide) has organized mass demonstrations against the government. Important partners within Keer het Tij are the three main left-wing political parties, PvdA, SP
Socialistische Partij
Socialistische Partij may refer toNetherlands parties:* Socialist Party * Socialist Party Belgian parties:* Socialist Party - Different* Socialist Party...
and GroenLinks), the largest trade union, the FNV
FNV
FNV could stand for:*Fallout: New Vegas, a 2010 video game*Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, Netherlands, *Förbundet Nordisk Vuxenupplysning, Sweden,...
, environmental organisations like Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
and Milieu Defensie, and organisations of migrants. In 2004 they organized a political demonstration in the Hague. At the time the negotiations between the cabinet, the employers and the unions on early retirement had broken off, with the union leaders promising a "hot autumn".
Most international criticism comes from Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Two ministers, the liberal
Flemish Liberals and Democrats
' , commonly known as Open VLD and also simply as the VLD, is a Flemish liberal political party in Belgium, created in 1992 from the former Party for Freedom and Progress and a few other politicians from other parties. The party led the government for three cabinets under Guy Verhofstadt from 1999...
minister of Foreign Affairs De Gucht
Karel De Gucht
Karel Lodewijk Georgette Emmerence De Gucht is a Belgian politician who has been the European Commissioner for Trade since 2010...
and the Socialist vice-prime minister Van den Bossche
Freya Van den Bossche
Freya Van den Bossche is a Belgian, Flemish politician and daughter of prominent former Belgian politician Luc Van den Bossche. She is member of the SP.a political party, and she was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Budget and Consumer Protection in the Belgian federal government...
of the purple Cabinet Verhofstadt II
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt is a Belgian politician who was the 47th Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. He is currently a Member of the European Parliament and leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.- Early career :...
, have criticized the style of the Dutch cabinet, calling the prime minister Balkenende "Petty Bourgeois".
Criticism also rose out of the ranks of the largest government partner, the CDA. The former Christian-Democratic Prime Minister Dries van Agt
Dries van Agt
Andreas Antonius Maria "Dries" van Agt is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from December 19, 1977, until November 4, 1982....
and former leader of the parliamentary party, De Vries, criticized the cabinet for its anti-social policy. Minister Pechtold has opposed cabinet policy on terrorism and drug law in the media, breaking the unity of cabinet.
Composition
The cabinet consists of 16 ministers and ten state secretaries (junior ministers). These positions are divided among the coalition members according to their size in parliament:- The CDA supplies eight ministers and five junior ministers
- The VVD supplies six ministers and four junior ministers
- D66 supplies two ministers and one junior minister.
Of the 26, 18 were also in the first Balkenende cabinet
First Balkenende cabinet
The first cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende was in office in the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 16 October of the same year. The term of 87 days was the shortest since the fifth cabinet of Hendrikus Colijn .Following the 15 May 2002...
. This is indicated by an asterisk
Asterisk
An asterisk is a typographical symbol or glyph. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often pronounce it as star...
(*) in the list below.
Ministers
| Portfolio | Minister |
|---|---|
| Prime Minister Prime Minister of the Netherlands The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government... , Minister of General Affairs (CDA) | Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full... * |
| Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands The Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the official Deputy of the Head of Government of the Netherlands. In the absence of the Prime Minister the deputy prime minister takes over his functions, such as chairing the Cabinet of the Netherlands... , Minister of Finance Ministry of Finance (Netherlands) The Ministry of Finance is the Dutch ministry of finance: it is occupied with the national budget, taxation and financial economic policy, including supervision of financial markets... (VVD) | Gerrit Zalm Gerrit Zalm Gerrit Zalm is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He served as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister from May 27, 2003 until February 22, 2007 in the Cabinets Balkenende II and III. He served earlier as Minister of Finance in the Cabinets Kok I and... |
| Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands The Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the official Deputy of the Head of Government of the Netherlands. In the absence of the Prime Minister the deputy prime minister takes over his functions, such as chairing the Cabinet of the Netherlands... , Minister of Economic Affairs (D66) | Laurens Jan Brinkhorst Laurens Jan Brinkhorst Laurens Jan Brinkhorst is a Dutch D66 politician.Brinkhorst was an undersecretary of state of foreign affairs and a minister of agriculture. Furthermore he was the leader of the D66-group in the Second Chamber of the Dutch parliament... (resigned on 30 June 2006); Gerrit Zalm Gerrit Zalm Gerrit Zalm is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He served as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister from May 27, 2003 until February 22, 2007 in the Cabinets Balkenende II and III. He served earlier as Minister of Finance in the Cabinets Kok I and... (ad interim) |
| Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (VVD) | Johan Remkes Johan Remkes Johannes Wijnandus "Johan" Remkes is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Queen's Commissioner of North Holland since July 1, 2010.... * |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development... (CDA) | Jaap de Hoop Scheffer Jaap de Hoop Scheffer Jakob Gijsbert "Jaap" de Hoop Scheffer is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as the 11th Secretary General of NATO from January 5, 2004 until August 1, 2009.... *; Bernard Bot. |
| Minister of Justice (CDA) | Piet Hein Donner Piet Hein Donner Jan Pieter Hendrik "Piet Hein" Donner is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He is the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010.... * |
| Minister of Education, Culture and Science (CDA) | Maria van der Hoeven Maria van der Hoeven Maria Josephina Arnoldina van der Hoeven is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal party. She is the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency since 1 September 2011.... * |
| Minister for Development Coordination Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development... (CDA) | Agnes van Ardenne* |
| Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport (VVD) | Hans Hoogervorst Hans Hoogervorst Hans Hoogervorst is a Dutch political and business figure. He is chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board.-Career:... * |
| Minister of Defence (VVD) | Henk Kamp Henk Kamp Henricus Gregorius Jozeph "Henk" Kamp is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment since October 14, 2010 in the Cabinet Rutte. He was the Commissioner of the Netherlands Antilles from January 1, 2009 until October, 10... * |
| Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VVD) | Sybilla Dekker Sybilla Dekker Sybilla Dekker is a Dutch politician.-References:... |
| Minister of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (CDA) | Karla Peijs Karla Peijs Karla Maria Henriëtte Peijs is a Dutch politician of the CDA. She was minister of Transport and Waterworks in the second and third Balkenende cabinet. In August 2006 she announced she would not be accepting a position in a new cabinet. On 1 March 2007 she was appointed Queen's Commissioner for the... |
| Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations (D66) | Alexander Pechtold Alexander Pechtold Alexander Pechtold is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 party. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 30 November 2006 as well as Parliamentary group leader since 23 November 2006... (resigned on 30 June 2006) |
| Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (CDA) | Cees Veerman Cees Veerman Cornelis Pieter Veerman is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal. He served as Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality from July 22, 2002 until February 22, 2007.-Early life:... * |
| Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (CDA) | Aart Jan de Geus Aart Jan de Geus Aart Jan de Geus is deputy secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris. He is a CDA Dutch politician and was the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands in the first, second and third cabinet Balkenende.-Personal Life and Career:De... * |
| Minister for Immigration and Integration (VVD) | Rita Verdonk Rita Verdonk Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk is a retired Dutch politician initially of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy until she was expelled in October 2007, she later formed her own party Proud of the Netherlands . She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets... |
State Secretaries
| Portfolio | Name |
|---|---|
| State Secretary for European Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Dutch ministry of foreign affairs: it is occupied with the external relations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including European cooperation and International development... (Foreign Secretary) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (VVD) | Atzo Nicolaï Atzo Nicolaï Atzo Nicolaï is a former Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . Since 1 June 2011 he is a member of the board of directors of the Dutch chemical multinational DSM.... * |
| State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science(VVD) | Annette Nijs Annette Nijs Anette Dorothea Sophia Maria Nijs is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . She was the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the Cabinets Balkenende I and II serving from 22 July 2002 until 9 June 2004... *; Mark Rutte Mark Rutte Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs in the Rutte cabinet... |
| State Secretary for Culture and ICT Ministry of Education, Culture and Science(D66) | Medy van der Laan Medy van der Laan Medy Catharina van der Laan is a Dutch politician.She was the Secretary of State of Culture and Media in the second Balkenende cabinet .- References :... (resigned on 30 June 2006) |
| State Secretary of Finance (CDA) | Joop Wijn Joop Wijn Joannes Gerardus Wijn was Minister of Economic Affairs in the third Balkenende cabinet of the Netherlands.... * |
| State Secretary for Defence (CDA) | Cees van der Knaap Cees van der Knaap Cornelis van der Knaap is a Dutch politician. He was State Secretary for Defense for the Christian Democratic Appeal .- Biography :... * |
| State Secretary for Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (CDA) | Pieter van Geel Pieter van Geel Petrus Leonardus Bastiaan Antonius van Geel is a Dutch politician for the CDA.He was State Secretary of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment from 2002 until 2007 and a member of the House of Representatives in 2002, 2003 and from 2006 till 2010.- External links : , Parlement & Politiek... * |
| State Secretary for Transport, Public Works and Water Management (VVD) | Melanie Schultz van Haegen Melanie Schultz van Haegen Melanie Henriëtte Schultz van Haegen-Maas Geesteranus is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . She was State Secretary for Transport, Public Works and Water Management. She is the Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment in the Rutte cabinet.-References:... * |
| State Secretary for Economic Affairs (CDA) | Karien van Gennip Karien van Gennip Karien van Gennip is a former Dutch politician. In 2008 she was appointed Director European & International Affairs for ING Group.-References:... |
| State Secretary for Social Affairs and Employment (VVD) | Mark Rutte Mark Rutte Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs in the Rutte cabinet... *; Henk van Hoof Henk van Hoof Hendrikus Andreas Lambertus "Henk" van Hoof is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He was the State Secretary for Defence in the Cabinet Kok II serving from August 3, 1998 until July 22, 2002... |
| State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport (CDA) | Clémence Ross-Van Dorp Clémence Ross-van Dorp Clemencia Ignatia Johanna Maria Ross-van Dorp is a Dutch politician.-References:... * |
Key events
In December 2003, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, De Hoop Scheffer, was appointed Secretary-General of the NATO. He was succeeded by former diplomat Ben Bot.In June 2004 a personal conflict between State Secretary for Higher Education Nijs and Minister of Education Van der Hoeven caused the departure of Nijs. This in turn caused a reshuffle: State Secretary for Social Affairs Rutte became State Secretary for Higher Education and Henk van Hoof (a state secretary in previous cabinets) became State Secretary for Social Affairs.
In March 2004 Minister for Institutional Reform and Kingdom Affairs De Graaf resigned after the rejection of the constitutional amendment that would allow for elected mayors. A government crisis erupted when all the three D66 ministers considered resigning. The plans for institutional reform were watered down in exchange for more money for education in the so-called Easter Accord (because it was signed on the day before Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
) and D66 continued to support the cabinet. De Graaf was succeeded by the mayor of Wageningen
Wageningen
' is a municipality and a historical town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. It is famous for Wageningen University, which specializes in life sciences. The city has 37,414 inhabitants , of which many thousands are students...
Pechtold. The position of Deputy Prime Minister was taken up by Minister of Economic Affairs Brinkhorst.
In February 2006 another crisis loomed when the D66 parliamentary party led by Boris Dittrich refused to agree to a military ISAF
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
mission in Uruzgan. When opposition party PVDA decided to change their vote and support the mission D66 backed down and Dittrich resigned as parliamentary leader.
State Secretary for Higher Education Mark Rutte left the cabinet to become parliamentary leader of the VVD on 28 June 2006. He was supposed to be succeeded by former alderman of The Hague Bruno Bruins
Bruno Bruins
Bruno Johannes Bruins is a retired Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He was the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science in the Cabinets Balkenende II and III serving from July 7, 2006 until February 22, 2007. He was Acting Mayor of Leidschendam-Voorburg...
, but the cabinet fell before he could be installed.
2006 cabinet crisis
On 29 June 2006 a cabinet crisis erupted after cabinet member Rita VerdonkRita Verdonk
Maria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk is a retired Dutch politician initially of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy until she was expelled in October 2007, she later formed her own party Proud of the Netherlands . She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets...
lost the support of the coalition party D66 over the Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Magan Ali is a Somali-Dutch feminist and atheist activist, writer, politician who strongly opposes circumcision and female genital cutting. She is the daughter of the Somali politician and opposition leader Hirsi Magan Isse and is a founder of the women's rights organisation the AHA...
identity fraud controversy.
Hirsi Ali had signed a statement in which she expressed regret that she had misinformed the Minister regarding her name. On 28 June she made it known this statement was coerced. In a parliamentary debate on 28 June extending into the next day Verdonk and the Prime Minister maintained that the purpose of this statement was a legal one: Hirsi Ali was required to declare her intention to keep the name Hirsi Ali in order for her to retain her passport. However, in a crucial moment during the debate, the Prime Minister, in reply to a question by member of parliament, Van Beek, asking about the purpose of the apology, answered that "it was a statement that the Minister for Integration and Immigration had to be able to live with". This statement was interpreted widely as political deal making by Verdonk at the expense of Hirsi Ali and not just a legality.
As a result, coalition party D66 supported the motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
against the Minister initiated by opposition party GroenLinks
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
in very strong words, stating that either the minister had to go, or that D66 would leave the cabinet. This motion did not get a majority vote. Later in the day on 29 June the Prime Minister issued a statement declaring that the ministers unanimously declared that the rejected motion did have no consequences for the cabinet (as it was not supported, the minister was not forced to go). The chairman of the parliamentary D66 group, Lousewies van der Laan
Lousewies van der Laan
Louse Wies Sija Anne Lilly Berthe van der Laan is a former Dutch politician and the leader of the parliamentary group of the social liberal Democrats 66 in the House of Representatives for six months in 2006...
then declared in a new parliamentary session that D66 could no longer support the entire cabinet.
The apparent differences between the D66 cabinet minister opinion (that the rejected motion did not mean that Verdonk had to go), and from the D66 parliamentary group (that D66 support to the motion meant she had to) resulted in some tense hours where it appeared that the two D66 cabinet ministers Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst is a Dutch D66 politician.Brinkhorst was an undersecretary of state of foreign affairs and a minister of agriculture. Furthermore he was the leader of the D66-group in the Second Chamber of the Dutch parliament...
and Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 party. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 30 November 2006 as well as Parliamentary group leader since 23 November 2006...
had broken away from their party, supporting the cabinet but not their party member Lousewies van der Laan
Lousewies van der Laan
Louse Wies Sija Anne Lilly Berthe van der Laan is a former Dutch politician and the leader of the parliamentary group of the social liberal Democrats 66 in the House of Representatives for six months in 2006...
. However in a reconvened parliamentary session later that evening Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst is a Dutch D66 politician.Brinkhorst was an undersecretary of state of foreign affairs and a minister of agriculture. Furthermore he was the leader of the D66-group in the Second Chamber of the Dutch parliament...
announced that he and Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 party. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 30 November 2006 as well as Parliamentary group leader since 23 November 2006...
had resigned and supported their parliamentary party in this issue. The apparent difference was based on legality. As the VVD and CDA members of the cabinet did not want to fire minister Verdonk, as members of the cabinet the D66 ministers could do nothing but state the obvious legal fact that an unsupported motion has no legal consequence. The political decision to leave the coalition was subsequently made by the parliamentary group.
Shortly after Prime Minister Balkenende announced that all remaining members of the cabinet would offer their resignations (portfolios) to Queen Beatrix.
At the conclusion of that day it was expected that new elections would be called for, which could be held in October 2006 at the earliest. Unlike the election process in for instance the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
where elections take place 4 weeks after its announcement, in the Netherlands it can take months between announcing elections and election day itself.
In the meantime VVD and CDA blamed D66 for the cabinet's demise: they argued that Verdonk did in fact respect the wishes of parliament when she ordered the re-examination of Hirsi Ali's passport position. Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs in the Rutte cabinet...
on his first day as parliamentary leader of the VVD was especially furious with D66, labeling their actions as scandalous. Lousewies van der Laan
Lousewies van der Laan
Louse Wies Sija Anne Lilly Berthe van der Laan is a former Dutch politician and the leader of the parliamentary group of the social liberal Democrats 66 in the House of Representatives for six months in 2006...
countered that she wanted only Verdonk and not the entire cabinet to resign, and that it was about the coerced statement, which she interpreted as abuse of power by the minister. She blamed VVD and CDA for deciding to keep Verdonk as minister.
The newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad
Het Financieele Dagblad
Het Financieele Dagblad is a daily Dutch newspaper. It is focused on business and financial matters....
(FD) on 30 June commented that it was highly unusual for a cabinet to resign even when they had survived the 29 June motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
. According to the FD, Balkenende made an expensive miscalculation and the coalition was not able to cope with accumulation of governmental screw ups, ego maniacal told-you-so attitude and political profiteering. As Prime Minister, Balkenende should have steered his cabinet around the pitfalls.
The Volkskrant on the same day commented that D66 never was a strong supporter for this center-right cabinet and least of all a supporter of Verdonk. The newspaper described Balkenende as a poor leader with his ministers failing to acknowledge him. In short the cabinet slipped over a banana skin according to this paper.
NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad, often abbreviated to NRC, is a daily evening newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. The newspaper was created on October 1, 1970, from merger of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and Algemeen Handelsblad . In 2006 a morning newspaper, nrc•next, was launched...
's main editorial praised D66 and put the blame on Balkenende for not being able to limit the damage to a single minister, the paper questioned whether the CDA should maintain him as their political leader.
The timing of the cabinet collapse was poorly chosen for the two remaining coalition parties: the economy was improving after 3 years of harsh reforms and little growth; finally more people were working and unemployment rates showed a decline. The reforms initiated three years ago (one of them a 20 billion euro spending cut) were also starting to deliver results. It was felt that CDA and VVD have not been able to benefit from it to its full potential.
The polls already showed improved voter support for VVD and CDA compared to the record-low results the year before. The 29 June Nova poll allots 38 seats to the CDA, 31 seats to the VVD and 3 seats in parliament to D66; a majority requires 76 seats.
With the collapse of the cabinet new initiatives that were jeopardized were a proposed economic liberalization
Economic liberalization
Economic liberalization is a very broad term that usually refers to fewer government regulations and restrictions in the economy in exchange for greater participation of private entities; the doctrine is associated with classical liberalism...
for gas utility companies, new regulations and new rules for competition regulator
Competition regulator
A competition regulator is a government agency, typically a statutory authority, sometimes called an economic regulator, which regulates and enforces competition laws, and may sometimes also enforce consumer protection laws...
s and liberalizations in the subsidized housing market. A demissionary cabinet
Cabinet of the Netherlands
The cabinet of the Netherlands is the main executive body of the Dutch government. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Rutte cabinet.-Composition and role:...
would no longer be able to tackle these issues but a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
still could.
On 30 June 2006 the Prime Minister met with Queen Beatrix offering the resignation of the two D66 ministers and offering the Portfolio of the other ministers. Balkenende expressed his preference for a minority government, a so-called rompkabinet
Cabinet of the Netherlands
The cabinet of the Netherlands is the main executive body of the Dutch government. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Rutte cabinet.-Composition and role:...
. Maxime Verhagen
Maxime Verhagen
Maxime Jacques Marcel Verhagen is a Dutch politician in the Christian Democratic Appeal party. He is the Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation and Deputy Prime Minister since October 14, 2010 in the Cabinet Rutte.He previously served as a Member of the European Parliament for...
of the CDA and Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte
Mark Rutte is a Dutch politician who has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 14 October 2010, as well as Minister of General Affairs in the Rutte cabinet...
(VVD) also gave their support for this solution when they were invited for consultation with Beatrix. Two important considerations for them were the imminent Dutch military NATO mission to Uruzgan Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Budget Day in September 2006 which decides much of policy making for the year 2007.
The main opposition leaders were in favor of a demissionary cabinet
Cabinet of the Netherlands
The cabinet of the Netherlands is the main executive body of the Dutch government. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Rutte cabinet.-Composition and role:...
(without authority for new policies) and elections as soon as possible.
On 1 July, Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold
Alexander Pechtold is a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 party. He has been a member of the House of Representatives since 30 November 2006 as well as Parliamentary group leader since 23 November 2006...
in an interview with NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad, often abbreviated to NRC, is a daily evening newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. The newspaper was created on October 1, 1970, from merger of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and Algemeen Handelsblad . In 2006 a morning newspaper, nrc•next, was launched...
raised his suspicion that VVD and CDA had already for a long time been prepared to drop D66 from the coalition in favor of the support of Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) in a minority cabinet. According to Pechtold it would explain the reluctance of VVD and CDA ministers to offer constructive solutions at the height of the crisis. The LPF on numerous occasions expressed their support for a minority cabinet adding the irony that after the first Balkende cabinet failed in 2003 because of the destructive attitude of LPF, it seems again the same LPF to replace D66.
2006 Information round
Also on 1 July, Queen Beatrix (as a non-elected Head of StateHead of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
) appointed Minister of State
Minister of State (Netherlands)
The Minister of State is an honorary title in the Netherlands. The title is formally granted together with the style Excellency, by the Monarch, but on the initiative of the cabinet of the Netherlands. It is given on a personal basis, for life rather than for a specified period. The title is...
and former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
Ruud Lubbers
Ruud Lubbers
Rudolphus Franciscus Marie "Ruud" Lubbers is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from November 4, 1982 until August 22, 1994....
as so-called informateur to see if a so called 'rump cabinet
Cabinet of the Netherlands
The cabinet of the Netherlands is the main executive body of the Dutch government. The current cabinet of the Netherlands is the Rutte cabinet.-Composition and role:...
' could be formed. This would be a cabinet of CDA and VVD with a minority of seats in parliament. This cabinet would therefore have to seek support from one or more opposition parties for every decision. General elections at this stage were planned to take place in November 2006. According to Lubbers the prospective third Balkenende cabinet
Third Balkenende cabinet
The third Balkenende cabinet was formed on 7 July 2006 after a crisis in and the subsequent resignation of the second Balkenende cabinet. This demissionary minority cabinet of Christian Democratic Appeal and People's Party for Freedom and Democracy was negotiated by former prime minister Ruud...
should be based on the coalition agreement
Coalition agreement
In multiparty democracies, a coalition agreement is an agreement between the parties that form the cabinet. It codifies the most important goals and objectives of the cabinet. It is often written by the leaders of the parliamentary parties.-Examples:...
of 2003 and the more recent Easter Accord.
This information was expected to take until 7 July with elections set at 22 November 2006 but Lubbers was able to present his final conclusions to the Queen already on 5 July. Balkenende was then appointed as the so-called formateur with the actual task of forming a new cabinet, appoint new ministers and presenting a formal cabinet statement to parliament, completed on 7 July 2006.