Overview
- Appointed on Tuesday, the former minister and NS executive is set to speak with all sixteen faction leaders to map coalition possibilities.
- Analysts highlight two divergent routes under discussion: a combination involving D66 with JA21, or the VVD with the GroenLinks–PvdA bloc.
- Former informateur Mariëtte Hamer urges the verkenner to identify policy openings, set the agenda for the next phase, protect trust, and counter the image of politicians as quarrelers.
- Hamer calls a pre-holiday deal ambitious and points to March 2026 as a more realistic timeframe, noting that a four-party majority will likely be required.
- Koolmees is viewed as a pragmatic bridge-builder, drawing on a 2022 Rotterdam experience where confidential talks produced an unlikely coalition without leaks.