The People’s Party, the PVV and the VVD in Steenbergen were jointly heading for a new coalition. There was already an agreement in outline, but the formation went wrong on Friday.
The People’s Party, the winner in Steenbergen during the municipal elections, pulled the plug. Last Monday, the VVD, PVV and formateurs spoke with each other without the People’s Party. “A backroom conversation,” People’s Party chairman Danker Kouwen calls it, who says that his party was deliberately not invited.
That caused the first hairline cracks in that party. Further coalition talks followed later this week, during which the portfolio division was also discussed. That turned out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back for the People’s Party. “To the great surprise of the People’s Party, it turned out that the PVV is not prepared to take on the asylum policy portfolio. The proposed PVV councilor does not want to take responsibility for the implementation of the ‘strictest asylum policy’ that the municipality of Steenbergen has ever known,” Kouwen writes in a press release.
‘Extremely disappointing’
The PVV and VVD say in a joint statement that they are surprised by the People’s Party’s decision. “PVV and VVD find it particularly disappointing that the People’s Party has decided to leave the negotiations at this time. In terms of content, agreement had been reached on an ambitious program that both parties believe is good for Steenbergen and its residents.”
According to the two parties, for example, there was agreement on ‘the construction of new peripheral roads near Dinteloord to improve accessibility and quality of life’. There were also agreements on ‘preventing asylum reception in Steenbergen and reducing unnecessary expenditure’.
There is currently insufficient confidence for the People’s Party to continue with the PVV and VVD. However, Kouwen believes that his party, as the largest, is still in charge. The PVV and VVD want to continue together on the basis of their main line agreement and look at other parties in the municipal council.
The Steenbergen municipal council has a total of nineteen seats. The People’s Party received the most votes during the elections, which gave it four seats. The PVV also won four seats, but came second with a difference of 37 votes. With the three seats of the VVD, the parties ended up with ten of the nineteen seats, which would have been enough for a majority.
