A merger of the parliamentary parties of PvdA and GroenLinks is seen as a serious way out of the impasse in the formation. Sources tell NOS that this scenario is being discussed by VVD leader Rutte, D66 leader Kaag and informateur Hamer.
From the start of the formation, the VVD has said that it does not want to join PvdA and GroenLinks in a five-party cabinet, because only four parties are needed for a majority in the House of Representatives. An extra party would make the coalition unnecessarily unstable, is the fear.
However, PvdA and GroenLinks have been saying for months that they will not rule without each other. In November last year the two bonded together and after that the message was consistently: we do it together or we don’t. D66 says from the start that it wants a “as progressive as possible cabinet”, and is blocking the ChristenUnie as a possible coalition partner.
more stable
In order to break the deadlock, the fraction merger way out has now been devised. For the VVD and other parties in the cabinet, a joint faction has the advantage that it is more stable than two separate factions.
“An objection from Rutte and CDA leader Hoekstra is that with two left-wing parties in a coalition you automatically get left-wing policies,” says political reporter Ron Fresen. “Because you have to make two commitments because there is always one of the two left parties that makes extra demands.” If the two are in one faction together, you don’t have that, is the idea.
A spokesperson for GroenLinks does not want to comment on a possible merger of the groups. “Because this affects the confidentiality of the cabinet formation.” A PvdA spokesperson says that nothing has been decided yet. “And you can also count on us to do what we want ourselves and not to dance to the tune of other parties.”
Impulse for left-wing cooperation
PvdA and GroenLinks have been talking about more cooperation and even about a merger of the two parties for some time. The factions in the House of Representatives are currently already working closely together in a number of areas.
Incidentally, the faction merger as a way out in the formation is certainly not yet a fact. “The VVD and CDA are also skeptical about this option,” says reporter Fresen. “It is doubted whether the two left-wing parties can really unite in a faction.”
If it really did happen, it would be a special step. “It would mean that under pressure from the cabinet formation, left-wing cooperation that has failed for years suddenly gets a boost.”
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