Dutch govt resigns
2002-10-16 22:50
The Hague - Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende handed his
government's resignation to Queen Beatrix on Wednesday evening
after his ruling coalition succumbed to infighting within the party
of murdered populist Pim Fortuyn.
The government collapsed within 100 days of taking office after
the resignations of Deputy Prime Minister Eduard Bomhoff and
Finance Minister Herman Heinsbroek earlier on Wednesday, following
weeks of public squabbling in a battle to control the List Pim
Fortuyn (LPF).
"I have done everything I could to find a solution to this
crisis but I did not succeed," Balkenende told the country's
parliament before officially requesting its dissolution from the
Dutch queen, paving the way for fresh elections as early as
December.
The government's official resignation came as a new opinion poll
appeared to confirm analysts' predictions that Balkenende's
Christian Democrats (CDA) stand to benefit the most from a recent
slump in LPF support.
The survey by SBS6 television, conducted after the resignation
was first announced, suggested the CDA would remain the strongest
party in the 150-seat parliament if the election were held today,
adding eight seats to its current 43.
The LPF, in contrast, would founder, losing all but four of its
26 seats.
Other winners in an impromptu poll would be the junior coalition
partner, Gerrit Zalm's right-wing liberal VVD, which would win 28
seats up from its current 24, while the social democratic
opposition PvdA would gain five seats to hold a total of 28.
Polls in the pipeline
With a VVD-PvdA alliance "very improbable" according to Zalm,
such a result would most likely pave the way for Balkenende and
Zalm to jettison the LPF, holding onto power with a combined 79
seats - a comfortable majority.
Under Dutch law, fresh polls are scheduled between 43 and 83
days after an irreversible government collapse.
Following the government's resignation, both the European Union
and the Dutch foreign ministry moved rapidly to allay fears that
the crisis could delay EU enlargement - due to be rubber-stamped
by member states' governments at the Copenhagen Summit on December
12-13.
A day before resigning, Finance Minister Heinsbroek had hinted
that The Netherlands might veto the eastward expansion of the
European Union planned for 2004.
But a Dutch foreign ministry spokesperson said a caretaker
administration set up to govern the country pending fresh elections
would be able to give the country's official endorsement to
enlargement.
That view was quickly echoed by Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig
Moeller, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency until the
end of the year.
"I don't think that will postpone the decision or jeopardise the
decisions on enlargement in December," said Moeller. "The
Netherlands has always been a supporter of enlargement - I'm sure
they'll take their responsibility."
Allegations of bought parliament seat
Ever since the assassination of its leader Pim Fortuyn on the
eve of May's election, the LPF has been riven by internal rows,
paralysing the government and exasperating its coalition partners.
"The situation has become unmanageable," Zalm said on Wednesday.
"It's impossible to trust the LFP - it's time the voters had their
say."
Zalm said he hoped a new election would be held as soon as
December 11 or the week after.
The LPF rocketed to prominence in March, when it won control of
Rotterdam city council on the strength of Fortuyn's charisma, shock
tactics and fiery anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Fortuyn railed against Muslim immigrants, whom he said were a
threat to the country's liberal values, vowing to seal its borders.
Bomhoff and Heinsbroek had fought to replace Harry Wijnschenk as
party leader, but former LPF head Mat Herben - who himself had
been replaced by Wijnschenk earlier this year - was instead
renamed as party boss.
Amid the musical chairs, the party has also been damaged by an
ongoing investigation into allegations that one member had bought
his seat in parliament, and public complaints from two expelled
members that the LPF was run as a "dictatorship".
- Sapa-AFP
- SAPA