Overview

• The four-party coalition led by Prime Minister Dick Schoof collapsed on June 3 after PVV leader Geert Wilders withdrew support over asylum policy disputes.
• Early elections are scheduled for October 29 to ensure compliance with candidate registration deadlines for overseas voters and school holiday calendars.
• Schoof’s cabinet will continue as a caretaker government until a new parliament convenes and a coalition is formed.
• Wilders’s PVV, which holds 37 of 150 seats, is polling on par with the Green-Social Democratic alliance and aims to capitalize on hardline immigration stances.
• Deep fragmentation across Dutch parties suggests post-election coalition talks will face significant hurdles.