Geert Wilders is not bending to allegations that tough asylum legislation has been put together in a “careless” manner. Instead, he has hinted that he might break up the existing government coalition and call fresh elections if his migration vision is not adopted.
This latest criticism of Wilders has come from the Council of State (RvS), a constitutionally established—though unelected—advisory body, which also said the law could next year be in conflict with the European Union’s Migration and Asylum Pact. Such claims will, of course, only strengthen Wilders’ desire to opt the Netherlands out of Brussels’ migration rules.
The Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) leader yesterday urged his colleague and migration minister Marjolein Faber to “just keep going,” in spite of the anti-asylum law advice: “And fast too.”
Don’t pay any attention to those unelected bureaucrats of the RvS! The Netherlands wants a stricter asylum policy quickly.
He later shared polling which suggests more than half (54%) of the Dutch public believe the government should resign if the asylum laws are not adopted. Broadcaster Hart van Nederland produced these results, and explained that since illegal migration was such an important issue at the last election, many believe there is no point in lawmakers remaining in coalition if they cannot come to an agreement.
After the election, Wilders proposed introducing the “strictest asylum policy ever.” The coalition, which is made up of four parties, agreed to restricting migrant rights to appeal in certain court proceedings, as well as the number of years their asylum status is valid. But Diederik Boomsma, from the centre-right New Social Contract governing party, this week claimed that elements of the asylum legislation could be changed.
Wilders responded angrily, saying his coalition partner was “playing with fire.”
No more changes. Otherwise the voter may speak out.
