Dick Schoof: The Right-Wing Prime Minister Promises a Fair and Safe Netherlands

The new Dutch government, led by technocrat Dick Schoof, officially took office after 223 days of negotiations following the elections on November 22. This marks the first time in history that a right-wing party controls five ministries in a coalition government.

During the inauguration ceremony inside Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, ministers and state secretaries were sworn into their new roles by King Willem-Alexander. This marked the end of liberal Mark Rutte’s reign as Prime Minister, who had been in power for almost 10 years.

The coalition government includes four different parties: PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB. Only the VVD has previous government experience, while the other parties are relatively new. Geert Wilders’ PVV, founded in 2006, secured a significant role in the government despite relinquishing the opportunity to personally lead it due to certain conditions set by his partners.

Schoof was elected Prime Minister unanimously and has an extensive background in law enforcement and intelligence. He expressed his commitment to creating a safe and fair Netherlands with social protection for all during his speech at the ceremony. He emphasized the importance of controlling migration and maintaining dialogue with other parties while making decisions and being transparent about them. The specifics of the government’s policies are still to be developed by the new ministers.