Troops row fells Dutch government
Source: Agencies |
February 21, 2010, Sunday
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DUTCH Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's coalition government collapsed yesterday when the two largest parties failed to agree on whether to withdraw troops from Afghanistan this year as planned.
The fall of the three-year-old EU member country government all but guarantees the 2,000 Dutch troops will come home this year and will eventually prompt new parliamentary elections.
The collapse, the fourth for a cabinet led by Balkenende in eight years, throws into doubt the scope and timing of planned budget cuts for next year as the Dutch economy battles to emerge from the global downturn.
"I unfortunately note that there is no longer a fruitful path for the Christian Democrats, Labor Party and Christian Union to go forward," said Balkenende, who leads the center-right Christian Democrats.
The collapse occurred after more than 15 hours of talks that lasted until early yesterday, and acrimonious exchanges throughout the week.
Balkenende wanted to extend the Dutch troop deployment in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan past an August deadline, but Deputy Prime Minister Wouter Bos' Labor Party opposed any extension.
NATO had asked the Netherlands, among the top 10 contributing nations to the mission, to investigate the possibility of a longer stay in Afghanistan as the alliance seeks to contain the Taliban insurgency.
Parliamentary elections could be held mid-year at the earliest, but would likely be followed by months of talks between parties to form a government. But it may prove difficult to establish, with opinion polls suggesting four or five parties may be needed to secure a majority coalition in the 150-seat parliament.
Right-wing legislator Geert Wilders' Freedom Party, which has called for an end to the Afghan mission, could be the big winner at the next election.
Opinion polls tip the Freedom Party, campaigning on mistrust of the government and an anti-immigration ticket, to become the largest or second-biggest party in the parliament.
Labor could regain some much-needed electoral support by its stance over Afghanistan but that may not be enough to form a left-leaning coalition.
The collapse of Balkenende's coalition effectively nullifies an existing agreement to hold off any economic austerity steps until 2011 and could lead to deeper cuts in next year's budget in September.
Twenty-one Dutch soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.
The fall of the three-year-old EU member country government all but guarantees the 2,000 Dutch troops will come home this year and will eventually prompt new parliamentary elections.
The collapse, the fourth for a cabinet led by Balkenende in eight years, throws into doubt the scope and timing of planned budget cuts for next year as the Dutch economy battles to emerge from the global downturn.
"I unfortunately note that there is no longer a fruitful path for the Christian Democrats, Labor Party and Christian Union to go forward," said Balkenende, who leads the center-right Christian Democrats.
The collapse occurred after more than 15 hours of talks that lasted until early yesterday, and acrimonious exchanges throughout the week.
Balkenende wanted to extend the Dutch troop deployment in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan past an August deadline, but Deputy Prime Minister Wouter Bos' Labor Party opposed any extension.
NATO had asked the Netherlands, among the top 10 contributing nations to the mission, to investigate the possibility of a longer stay in Afghanistan as the alliance seeks to contain the Taliban insurgency.
Parliamentary elections could be held mid-year at the earliest, but would likely be followed by months of talks between parties to form a government. But it may prove difficult to establish, with opinion polls suggesting four or five parties may be needed to secure a majority coalition in the 150-seat parliament.
Right-wing legislator Geert Wilders' Freedom Party, which has called for an end to the Afghan mission, could be the big winner at the next election.
Opinion polls tip the Freedom Party, campaigning on mistrust of the government and an anti-immigration ticket, to become the largest or second-biggest party in the parliament.
Labor could regain some much-needed electoral support by its stance over Afghanistan but that may not be enough to form a left-leaning coalition.
The collapse of Balkenende's coalition effectively nullifies an existing agreement to hold off any economic austerity steps until 2011 and could lead to deeper cuts in next year's budget in September.
Twenty-one Dutch soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan.
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