GroenLinks and PvdA: not without each other in the next cabinet

The left-wing opposition parties GroenLinks and PvdA do not want to be part of a new cabinet without each other, after the upcoming parliamentary elections in March next year. They have not yet formally agreed or recorded anything. But five months before the House of Representatives elections, party leaders Klaver and Asscher unequivocally speak out for close cooperation: alone in a coalition, or together in the opposition. And they also want the third left-wing opposition party, the SP, to join.

Asscher was the first to come, last Sunday at the presentation of his party’s election program. He said he did not want to step into a cabinet without leftist allies. And according to him that does not mean without GroenLinks and / or the SP: “That’s the way it is. We learned our lessons, they were quite expensive lessons. “He was referring to the previous cabinet period, when the PvdA ruled alone with the VVD, which led to the PvdA’s biggest election defeat ever in Dutch politics.

Left engine block

When asked, GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver responds in agreement to Asscher’s statement: “We want a left engine block and the PvdA and GroenLinks are a very logical combination. The SP shows that they would like to join the next cabinet, so I can also suggest that the SP will join in. And if D66 really wants to turn left, I am also happy with D66, but at least the PvdA and GroenLinks. “

Klaver also says: “I actually have exactly the same statement as Lodewijk Asscher made: we only want to participate in a cabinet with other left-wing parties, at least the PvdA. Preferably participate together. And if that does not work, you do not participate together. “

Party leader Lilian Marijnissen of the SP would find it “mighty beautiful” if the left-wing parties succeed in forming such a ‘left engine block’ together that can take the lead in the formation next year. “Those parties are ideologically closest to us.” Other parties can also join as far as she is concerned.

In contrast to 2017, the SP does not exclude the VVD outright this time, Marijnissen said earlier. But the differences with that party are so great that she considers the chance of government cooperation very small. GroenLinks and the PvdA also do not exclude the VVD, although they prefer to govern without that party.

Big disagreements

The statements by Klaver and Asscher in particular could have a major influence on the cabinet formation next year. Together they have about 30 seats in the polls, they hope for more. If they do not let go of each other, they are in a position to make more demands together than if they negotiate separately and let themselves be played off against each other.

In recent decades, the left-wing parties have spoken about cooperation many times. In practice, this never worked, usually because the PvdA was generally larger and often formed part of cabinets, which led to major differences of opinion with the other two.

The current situation is different, because both GroenLinks and the SP and the PvdA are now part of the opposition and the fractions do not differ much in size. GroenLinks and the SP each have 14 seats and the PvdA 9. During this cabinet period, the three parties also regularly take action against the cabinet.