PM-elect Dick Schoof, Dutch Government Sworn In 7 Months After Far-Right Party’s Election Victory

For the first time in 14 years, the Netherlands has a new Prime Minister. On Tuesday, Dutch King Willem-Alexander officially swore in the new government, more than seven months after elections were dominated by a far-right, anti-Islam party.

Dick Schoof, who previously led the Dutch intelligence agency and counterterrorism office, signed the royal decree at Huis Ten Bosch Palace. He pledged to fulfill his duties as the new Prime Minister. The 67-year-old was formally installed along with 15 other ministers who form the country’s right-leaning coalition.

Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration party won the most seats in last year’s elections, but it took 223 days to form a government. The coalition includes Wilders’ Party for Freedom, outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, the populist Farmer Citizen Movement, and the centrist New Social Contract party.

The coalition’s formal agreement, titled “Hope, Courage, and Pride,” introduces strict measures on asylum-seekers, ends family reunification for refugees, and aims to reduce the number of international students in the country.

Wilders was prevented from becoming Prime Minister due to opposition from other coalition partners. During the lengthy negotiations, he softened some of his extreme views, including withdrawing a proposal to ban mosques, Islamic schools, and the Quran.

For the first time since World War II, the Netherlands is led by a Prime Minister who is not affiliated with any political party. Before his role in intelligence, Mr. Schoof was the counterterrorism chief and head of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Mr. Schoof was not initially considered a candidate for Prime Minister. According to the national newspaper Telegraaf, he was the fifth choice for the position. Wilders’ first choice, Ronald Plasterk, withdrew after allegations of involvement in a medical patent fraud surfaced.

The other ministers were sworn in based on the seniority of their departments. Femke Wiersma, who will lead the agriculture department, made her declaration in Frisian, the country’s second official language.

Although the November elections were seen as a victory for the far right, political youth organizations are already challenging the new government’s plans. Before the swearing-in ceremony, youth groups from six parties, including two coalition partners, called for a more humane approach to asylum policies.

Eva Brandemann, chair of the youth wing of the New Social Contract, told Dutch public broadcaster NOS that while the influx of asylum-seekers should be limited, it is important to treat them fairly and with dignity. Mauk Bresser, chair of the youth organization of Rutte’s party, said the issues stem from administration, not migration. He told NOS, “The impression after all those conversations is that there is not so much an asylum crisis but a reception crisis.”

The new government will now spend the summer turning their coalition agreement into a detailed governing plan.