Four Dutch Parties Ready to Begin Negotiations to Form Ruling Coalition - Reports

PARIS (Sputnik) - The Netherlands might soon welcome a new government as four parties agreed to begin negotiations to form a ruling coalition, more than six months after a general election, the Netherlands Broadcasting Corporation (NOS) reported on Thursday.

All four parties — the conservative-liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the social-liberal Democrats 66 (D66), the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the Christian Union (CU) — have announced their readiness to start substantive talks on the formation of the ruling coalition, the broadcaster said.

The discussions on the future composition of the coalition have been going on for the past four weeks.

Acting Prime Minister Mark Rutte, leader of the VVD, noted that the negotiations may result in a "new start" with a new program.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us in the areas of security, education, climate and housing market," Rutte was quoted as saying by the NOS.

For the VVD and the CDA, the coalition with the Democrats 66 and the Christian Union was the preferred option.

The leader of the Democrats 66, Sigrid Kaag, who had recently stepped down from her post as acting foreign minister over Afghan evacuation criticism, said she preferred negotiations over new elections since they would most likely not benefit anyone and produce similar results.

The Netherlands held parliamentary elections in March, with the VVD winning the vote. However, Rutte's cabinet asked for resignation in January due to the scandal over child care benefits. So, after the elections, discussions began on forming a ruling coalition. For half a year, the talks yielded no results, but the breakthrough came this week after chief negotiator Johan Remkes managed to hold productive talks with nine parties.