Dutch Coalition Talks Aim for Uncommon Minority Government Formation

Formation of a Minority Coalition in the Netherlands

AMSTERDAM, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Government formation talks in the Netherlands will be aimed at forming a rare minority cabinet, leaders of the three prospective coalition parties said on Friday.

Key Parties Involved in Negotiations

Negotiations are set to continue between the centrist, pro-EU D66 party, which won the election last October, the conservative Christian Democrats and the right-wing VVD.

Challenges in Forming a Majority Coalition

This coalition would hold 66 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, and would have to seek support on a case-by-case basis from other parties for its policies.

Political Implications of a Minority Government

The Netherlands is usually led by majority coalitions, but the heavily fractured political landscape has made it increasingly difficult to assemble one.

After the October election, all major mainstream parties ruled out governing with anti-Muslim populist Geert Wilders after he brought down the last government, led by his PVV.

The VVD ruled out working with the left-wing Green/Labour combination, whose inclusion was the only option for a solid majority.

D66, for its part, objected to including the Eurosceptic, conservative JA21, which could have brought up the seat total to 75.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Kevin Liffey)