Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that a tax pact passed over one coalition partner’s opposition, putting Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten’s nine-month-old minority government under strain in the European Union’s fifth-largest economy.
AFP said the dispute followed months of tax-policy negotiations. D66 and CDA reached an agreement with PRO, which the agency described as a left-wing opposition party. The proposal cleared parliament narrowly after Thursday’s debate. The VVD, the third party in Jetten’s government, voted against it, splitting the coalition over a plan two of its partners had negotiated with the opposition.
VVD leader and Defense Minister Dilan Yesilgoz said she believed the agreement threatened the Netherlands’ stability, economic growth and business climate. She warned that the coalition needed a “fundamental reset” if its partners sided with PRO, AFP reported.
Jetten arranged talks for Friday, Nov. 13, with Yesilgoz and a senior CDA representative, according to AFP. After the vote, he acknowledged that the government needed a serious new start.
The three governing parties hold 66 seats in the 150-member parliament, AFP reported. Jetten therefore needs votes from lawmakers beyond the coalition to pass legislation. The Netherlands has 15 parties represented in parliament, including groups focused on people over 50 and a farmers’ party. AFP said legislation in the fragmented chamber can require months of bargaining and compromise.
The Netherlands is also a key NATO member, and AFP said it carries significant weight in the European Union. Jetten, 39, is the country’s youngest-ever prime minister, the agency reported.
AFP said a snap vote would be the Netherlands’ third election in three years. Its account of recent polling said PRO would win a hypothetical election, ahead of the far-right PVV, led by Geert Wilders. The PVV left the previous government over immigration in 2025, triggering that year’s election, AFP reported. Wilders described the current coalition as “effectively dead.”
