With the conclusion of a coalition agreement between PvdA, GroenLinks, D66, CDA, Party for the Animals and Denk, The Hague once again has a majority coalition. Informant Arie Slob (Christian Union) announced this in a letter on Wednesday letter to the city council. Next Monday, the parties will present the candidate aldermen of Denk and the PvdD and the agreement. It will then become clear whether the six have concluded a completely new agreement, or whether they are mainly elaborating on the current agreements.
The previous coalition, formed in September 2022, fell last June when the VVD withdrew its support because the parties could not agree on discussions with Hart van Den Haag about possible participation in the council. The discussion arose due to the wish of former councilor Richard de Mos to join the coalition. His party, Hart van Den Haag, was initially excluded from the coalition negotiations because De Mos and his party colleague Rachid Guernaoui were still involved in a lawsuit.
In October 2019, the council in which the two were councilors fell, when it turned out that the duo was suspected of, among other things, corruption and violation of their official secrecy. Several parties did not want to work with Hart voor Den Haag while the lawsuit was ongoing.
Weeks of crisis consultation
After De Mos and Guernaoui were acquitted in April – at first instance, the Public Prosecution Service will appeal – they believed that, as the largest party with nine seats, they had the right to participate in governance in the Hofstad. The VVD wanted to talk about that, but that was not negotiable for the PvdA and GroenLinks. They felt that the coalition at the time was “not up for discussion.” D66 and CDA were willing to negotiate, but only if they also talked to other opposition parties.
Weeks of crisis consultations followed, guided by independent discussion leader and former minister Bruno Bruins, but his help ultimately could not prevent the coalition from falling in June. For Hart van Den Haag and the VVD, the third largest party in the city with seven seats, the new coalition agreement means that they will be in opposition in the coming period. Party for the Animals and Denk have exchanged their opposition position for a place in the council. The current councilors Robert van Asten (D66), Saskia Bruines (D66), Arjen Kapteins (GroenLinks), Martijn Balster (PvdA) and Hilbert Bredemeijer (CDA) will continue.
Also read this analysis: Experts after the De Mos case: ensure more countervailing power and transparency