The Netherlands' centrist party has left cabinet talks

Geert Wilders' chances of forming a majority government in the Netherlands have been dealt a major blow after one of the far-right leader's three potential partners abruptly pulled out of coalition talks, citing concerns about public finances.
Wilders, whose Party for Freedom (PVV) shocked Europe by coming out on top in last November's election, said on Platform X that he was "incredibly disappointed" by the New Social Contract's (NSC) decision to declare that it was " finished" with the current round of negotiations.
Centrist party leader Pieter Omzigt did not rule out the possibility of lending parliamentary support to a minority government, but appeared to rule out any possibility of formally joining the putative right-wing coalition, public broadcaster NOS reported.
Dutch media reported that Omzigt, a former Christian Democratic Party lawmaker who campaigned for "good governance" and "doing politics differently", was shocked by confidential information about the state of public finances.
"NSK does not intend to make promises to the Dutch people that it already knows are empty and cannot be fulfilled by the next government," he said in a letter to party members. "Castles in the air are no basis for a secure existence".
Ronald Plasterk, the former minister who is acting as a mediator in the talks, has already pointed to finance as a major stumbling block after economic experts warned the new coalition would need to find 17 billion euros in structural spending cuts.
Wilders' party won a shocking 37 seats in the election, but fell far short of the 76 seats needed for a majority. His preferred coalition was with the NSC, which won 20 seats, the agrarian party BBB (7 seats) and the center-right party VVD (24 seats).
The far-right leader had already promised to abandon unconstitutional measures in his manifesto, such as bans on mosques and the Koran, as well as proposals rejected by his potential partners, such as the Nexit referendum to leave the EU.
Without the NSC, however, Wilders seems to have no chance of forming a majority government. "The Netherlands wants this cabinet, and now Omzigt is throwing in the towel, while until today we were still negotiating. I don't understand it at all," he said. If no combination of parties can agree to form a coalition, a new election is a possible option - although according to opinion polls, support for the PVV has grown since November./BGNES