New Dutch Government Takes Office with PVV in Control of Five Ministries.

After 223 days of negotiations following the November 22 elections, the new Dutch government led by technocrat Dick Schoof officially took office. The government comprises of 15 ministers from four different parties, with the right-wing PVV controlling five ministries.

During the inauguration ceremony held at Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, ministers and state secretaries were sworn into their new roles by King Willem-Alexander. This marked the first time the monarch oversaw a government inauguration that wasn’t led by liberal Mark Rutte. Rutte handed over his office key to Schoof after the ceremony.

The coalition government includes VVD, NSC, BBB and PVV parties. Only VVD has previous experience in government while other parties are relatively new. Geert Wilders’ PVV, founded in 2006, secured a significant role in the government despite relinquishing the opportunity to personally lead it due to certain conditions set by his partners.

Schoof was elected Prime Minister unanimously and has an extensive background in law enforcement and intelligence. He expressed his commitment to creating a safe and fair Netherlands with social protection for all during his address at the ceremony. He emphasized on controlling migration, maintaining dialogue, making decisions and being transparent about them as some of the main areas of focus for the new legislature. The specifics of the government’s policies are yet to be developed by the new ministers.