The Dutch governing coalition collapsed on June 3, 2025, after Geert Wilders’s right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV) exited the four-party alliance. Prime Minister Dick Schoof promptly resigned, triggering a caretaker government amid growing political turbulence.
Wilders demanded radical restrictions on immigration, including halting asylum claims, deploying the military at borders, revoking dual citizenship, and deporting Syrian refugees . When VVD, NSC, and BBB partners refused, saying such measures breached international law, the PVV withdrew, leaving the government without a parliamentary majority . Schoof described Wilders’s move as “irresponsible and unnecessary”.
Earlier elections in November 2023 brought the PVV to power as the largest party with 37 seats. PVV ministers entered the cabinet in July 2024 alongside VVD, NSC, and BBB. The coalition’s mandate centered on enacting the “strictest asylum policy ever,” including an Asylum Crisis Act, family-reunification restrictions, and suspension of the Dispersal Act . Marjolein Faber, PVV’s migration minister, prepared these proposals—only to see them blocked by partners.
The collapse forces new elections, likely by autumn, and leaves the Netherlands with a caretaker cabinet as it prepares to host a NATO summit in late June. Polls show PVV support has slipped to around 20%, with Labour/Green and VVD close behind. Critics across the coalition condemned Wilders’s exit, accusing him of placing party interests over national stability.
This collapse highlights the volatility of right-wing coalitions in Europe and underscores immigration as a deeply divisive political flashpoint. The fate of the nation’s asylum framework and commitment to NATO agreements may hinge on future electoral outcomes.
