Dutch secret service former leader now serves as Prime Minister.
The ex-chief of the Dutch intelligence agency, Dick Schoof, is likely to be unveiled as the new Head of Government in the Netherlands' right-wing administration. On Tuesday (5 PM CEST), the four coalition partners are set to hold a news conference to officially announce this.
Although the nationalist PVV faction led by Geert Wilders is the most significant force in the new government, Wilders had to renounce his claim to the post of Prime Minister to persuade his coalition members.
At present, Schoof works for the Dutch Ministry of Justice. Earlier, he served as the head of the AIVD intelligence agency and the NCTV anti-terror department. As per their coalition arrangement, the four parties announced a significant firming up of their asylum policy and the construction of additional nuclear power stations.
Meanwhile, the new administration expressed its backing for Ukraine and intends to allocate at least 2% of its economic output for defense. Wilders hopes that the incoming government will kickstart operations in late June.
The alliance encompasses the conservative-liberal VVD party of current Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the fresh center-right party NSC, and the farmers' party BBB. The coalition controls 88 seats in the 150-member Dutch parliament. Rutte intends to pursue the post of NATO Secretary General, as incumbent Jens Stoltenberg is scheduled to retire in the autumn.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
During the press conference on Tuesday, the Dutch Ministry of Justice's current employee, Dick Schoof, is expected to be named as the new Prime Minister. Previously, Schoof served as the head of the AIVD intelligence agency and the NCTV anti-terror department, having been the former head of the Dutch secret service.
Source: www.ntv.de
