Global General

Dutch government falls over Afghan troop mission

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-02-21 15:24

Mid-year elections

Parliamentary elections could be held mid-year at the earliest, but would probably be followed by months of talks between parties to form a coalition government.

A new government may prove difficult to establish, with opinion polls suggesting four or five parties may be needed to secure a majority coalition in the 150-seat parliament.

"We are in the middle of a financial crisis and holding elections now would lead to a lot of insecurity for the public and investors," said Andre Krouwel, professor of political science at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. "It is not the time to hold national elections."

Right-wing legislator Geert Wilders' Freedom Party, which has called for an end to the Afghan mission, could be the big winner at the next election. Opinion polls tip the party, campaigning on an anti-immigration ticket, to become the largest or second biggest party in parliament.

"Unlike the leftish parties of the Dutch political spectrum, we are not against fighting against the Taliban and fighting for freedom in Afghanistan, but we believe the Dutch have done enough," Wilders told Reuters in an interview.

The Netherlands has some 1,940 troops based mainly in the volatile southern Afghan province of Uruzgan and has lost 21 of its soldiers there, adding to Dutch opposition to the war.

Labour could regain some much-needed electoral support by its opposition to the war in Afghanistan but that may not be enough to form a coalition. Bos was campaigning in Utrecht on Saturday for municipal elections due March 3.

Meanwhile, the Christian Democrats moved quickly to name Balkenende their leader for the election, defusing months of speculation he would be replaced for the next poll by Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen.

Austerity measures

The collapse of Balkenende's coalition effectively nullifies an existing agreement to hold off any economic austerity steps until 2011 and could lead to deeper cuts in September's budget.

This week, the Dutch government's main think-tank raised its 2010 budget deficit forecast to 6.1 percent of gross domestic product but called for a 2011 deficit of 4.7 percent, implying that steep spending cuts will be needed.

That could crimp the Dutch economy, which just entered a recovery after four quarters of contraction.

The Dutch mission in Afghanistan, which started in 2006, is scheduled to end in August with the last of the troops leaving in December.

"A withdrawal will damage the reputation of the Dutch as a reliable partner that is willing and able to contribute to important military missions," said Edwin Bakker, a senior research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague.