The political crisis in The Hague has not yet been resolved. The cabinet is now looking again at the asylum issue. There’s a new proposal on the table to press the “pause head” when it comes to the contentious issue of family reunification, the NRC reports. But Prime Minister Mark Rutte is on a war footing, according to political journalist Leendert Beekman. “The VVD played so well, it will be very difficult to get out of here.”
But this will really have to be done, especially if it depends on Secretary of State Eric van der Burg for Justice and Security. “He was given his homework and he came up with a new option for the family reunification discussion, the thorniest point between the parties,” Beekman explains. Rutte previously promised his supporters that he would severely limit family reunification, but that point is non-negotiable for the Christian Union. The party has evaluated the new proposal, but does not want to comment on the content.
Closet trap
And so the coalition parties have been diametrically opposed to each other all week. With the VVD on one side and the ChristenUnie on the other, supported by D66. However, the parties have to find an agreement in the short term, Van der Burg also underlines.’ Either there will be an asylum deal, or the cabinet will fall,’ says Beekman. “Because if it can’t be made true, then the parties might just pull the plug.”
“Maybe Rutte feels the momentum”
Rutte therefore seems to be on a collision course. According to the political journalist, the prime minister can partly afford it because the VVD is doing relatively well in the polls, while newcomer BBB is losing popularity. “BBB is going down in the polls, maybe Rutte is feeling this momentum,” thinks Beekman. «But in the end one of the two sides, either the VVD or the ChristenUnie and the D66, has to give in. And whoever breaks pays and this makes you lose face».
Source: BNR
Fernando Dowling is an author and political journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of the political landscape and a passion for analyzing the latest political trends and news.
