Dutch gov’t talks collapse

September 4, 2010, 5:00pm

THE HAGUE (dpa) - Almost three months after elections the Netherlands remains without a government, after the Dutch Liberal Party and the Christian Democratic Alliance late Friday failed to agree on forming a coalition with the support of the far-right PVV party of anti-Islamist politician Geert Wilders.

Wilders told a news conference that his party had lost confidence in the CDA's ability to form a stable government. ''The trust of the Freedom Party in the Christian Democrats has recently declined to a low point. We didn't cause this mess. We are a stable party,'' Wilders said.

The Netherlands has been in political stalemate since the June 9 parliamentary elections in which the previously-ruling CDA lost half its seats, to 21, while Wilders' Party of Freedom (PVV) emerged with 24 seats.

The CDA is seeking to form a minority government together with the conservative liberal People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which won the most seats, 31. But such a minority government would require the tacit support of Wilders' PVV and its 24 seats to control 76 seats, in the 150-seat parliament.