“I can only become prime minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. That was not the case,” Wilders said Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter.
It would be the first time since 1982 that the leader of the winning party in a Dutch general election didn’t become prime minister.
Wilders said his decision had been motivated by his desire to enable the formation of a right-wing cabinet.
“Less asylum and immigration. Dutch on 1. The love for my country and voter is great and more important than my own position,” Wilders said on X.
The other party leaders involved in coalition talks have already recused themselves from the PM job. At the time of publication, none had reacted to Wilders’ statement.