2021–2022 Dutch cabinet formation
It was revealed that VVD leader and demissionary prime minister Mark Rutte had discussed CDA MP Pieter Omtzigt, despite initially denying it.
Subsequently, informateur Herman Tjeenk Willink was tasked with exploring ways to restore confidence and facilitate the formation of a new cabinet.
In the subsequent months, informateur Mariëtte Hamer sought a majority coalition comprising a combination of VVD, D66, CDA, PvdA, GroenLinks (GL) and CU.
Led by informateurs Remkes and Wouter Koolmees, VVD, CDA, D66, and CU negotiated and presented a coalition agreement on 15 December 2021.
Omtzigt ran in the CDA leadership election but narrowly lost to Hugo de Jonge and was subsequently placed second on the party's candidacy list.
The Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and VVD ruled out cooperation with the radical-right Party for Freedom (PVV) and Forum for Democracy (FvD).
Unlike previous elections, the SP did not rule out cooperating with the VVD and did not impose another left-wing party in the cabinet as a condition.
Subsequently, VVD Senate leader Annemarie Jorritsma and D66 Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Kajsa Ollongren were appointed as scouts.
[19] As the tenth political group in terms of seats, CU-leader Gert-Jan Segers considered it strange if negotiations started with CU.
[25] Although FvD leader Thierry Baudet indicated on election evening that cabinet participation was possible,[26] he no longer expected this after talking to the scouts.
They thought it would be best to wait until the official results of the elections would be known on 26 March, which would show whether Omtzigt had more preference votes than party leader Hoekstra (which turned out not to be the case[28]).
After questions from Baudet, it also turned out that Rutte had heard "via-via" about the contents of the meeting reports several hours before the other party leaders.
[39][40] After Ollongren and Jorritsma resigned, the ministers Tamara van Ark (VVD) and Wouter Koolmees (D66) were appointed as scouts on 25 March.
[42] As a period of rest, he did not invite parliamentary leaders in the second week, but among others Nationale Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen [nl] and chair of the Social and Economic Council Mariëtte Hamer.
[44] In the invitation to parliamentary leaders for meetings in the third week, Tjeenk Willink indicated that more time had to be taken for the formation, but that a recovery plan for the corona crisis had to be worked out quickly.
Farid Azarkan (DENK), Wilders and Van der Plas were critical of this approach, which no longer was about the (lack of) trust in Rutte.
[45] Mutual trust was again under pressure after, according to RTL Nieuws, a Council of Ministers decided at the end of 2019 to deliberately provide the House of Representatives with incomplete information about the childcare benefits scandal.
[49][50] After the debate with Tjeenk Willink on 12 May, SER chairwoman Mariëtte Hamer was nominated as informateur by Kaag and Rutte, a decision approved by the House of Representatives.
Hoekstra reacted reluctantly to Kaag's coalition preference for VVD, D66 and CDA, supplemented by two left-wing parties PvdA and GL.
[68] When the impasse was not broken after this weekend, Hamer suggested that Kaag and Rutte write the basis of a coalition agreement together, which other parties could then join at a later stage.
VVD MPs Sophie Hermans and Mark Harbers negotiated with their D66 colleagues Rob Jetten and Steven van Weyenberg.
During the HJ Schoo lecture [nl] on 6 September, Kaag made a number of critical statements about politicians who "drink coffee, manage relationships, play games in private with party-political emotion", who "arrange and hustle without vision" and who "to shout loudly how amazingly cool our 'little country' is."
From 18-19 September, VVD, D66, and CDA negotiators met with Remkes at the De Zwaluwenberg [nl] estate in Hilversum, but no breakthrough was achieved, partly due to the previous week's events.
[80] In an effort to convince D66 to join a minority cabinet, MPs Mark Harbers (VVD), Jaco Geurts and Henri Bontenbal (CDA) collaboratively drafted a coalition agreement.
The existence and contents of this draft only became public knowledge in November 2021, after Segers accidentally left the document on a train and it ended up with de Volkskrant.
[84] That evening, two D66 spokespersons and MP Sjoerd Sjoerdsma suggested to the media that Remkes had been "confused" and had "some drink", leading to significant criticism.
[84][85] On 29 September, discussions took place with VVD, D66, CDA, PvdA, GroenLinks, ChristianUnion, SGP, Volt, and Liane den Haan about forming an extra-parliamentary cabinet, but this option lacked sufficient support.
[87] The substantive negotiations between the parties mainly took place between Sophie Hermans (VVD), Rob Jetten (D66), Pieter Heerma (CDA) and Carola Schouten (CU).
[89] The plan to also meet in Château St. Gerlach, to exchange ideas with victims of July floods in South Limburg proved too expensive.
[99] Another incredibly interesting time politically(Dutch: Politiek weer een ongelofelijk interessante tijd) Speaker of the House Vera Bergkamp had an evaluation carried out under the chairmanship of Professor Carla van Baalen [nl].
