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The negotiator appointed to seek out potential coalition partners for Dutch far right leader Geert Wilders has quit the job over fraud allegations.
Gom van Strien, a senator for Wilders’ Freedom party, stepped down on Monday morning — his first day in the job — delaying efforts to form a new government after last week’s parliamentary elections.
Exploratory talks with other party leaders were cancelled, with lawmakers pressuring Wilders to quickly find a replacement to act as his “scout”.
The newspaper NRC reported at the weekend that van Strien’s former employer, the university of Utrecht, had accused him of fraud.
Van Strien had worked in the veterinary department of the university. He has denied wrongdoing but on Monday said he was quitting coalition talks due to “both the unrest that has arisen about this and the preparation of a response to it”.
The Dutch newspaper named him as one of three people under investigation for fraud in connection with Utrecht Holdings, which commercialises the university’s research.
Utrecht Holdings has reported irregularities “involving three (former) employees,” the university said, adding that it would not comment further while the legal proceedings were ongoing.
Utrecht Holdings announced the case in March but van Strien’s name has only emerged now.
“Utrecht Holdings discovered indications of possible irregularities in share transactions of two of its former subsidiaries and had an independent investigation carried out by Deloitte. Based on this investigation, Utrecht Holdings reported fraud and bribery,” it said at the time.
Dutch governments can take many months to form — and lawmakers criticised the delay caused by this scandal.
“It is annoying to start the exploration phase like this,” Vera Bergkamp, president of the lower house of the Dutch parliament, said. She added that it was “important that a new scout is quickly appointed who can start work immediately”.
Wilders is facing an uphill battle to convert his victory, with 24 per cent of the vote, into power. With an expected 37 seats in the lower house of parliament, he needs at least two parties to form a majority in the 150-member chamber.
The right-leaning liberal VVD party of outgoing prime minister Mark Rutte, which finished third, has ruled out joining his cabinet, though it said it could back a “centre-right” government from outside.
The centre-right New Social Contract, which has emerged as the fourth-largest party, is open to talks and was supposed to meet van Strien on Monday. The NSC leadership has insisted Wilders moderates many of his policies, which breach the Dutch constitution.
Over the weekend, the firebrand anti-Islam politician promised to put his pledge to ban mosques, the Koran and Islamic schools “in the refrigerator” and moderate his stance to woo potential coalition partners in order to become prime minister.
The Farmer-Citizen Movement, another anti-establishment party which won a projected seven seats, said it is open to joining a coalition with the Freedom party.
An alternative to Wilders could be a Labour/Green-led cabinet with Frans Timmermans, the EU’s former climate chief, as premier. But that would require the NSC, VVD and a string of smaller leftist parties to join.
Some 20 factions got elected since there is no minimum threshold to enter to parliament. If no one can form a government, snap elections would need to be held. Rutte will carry on governing as caretaker PM until a successor is found or elections are held.
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