The prime minister, Mark Rutte, is expected to present a rocky four-party coalition to parliament on Monday, 208 days after his liberal VVD party won the March polls. If approved by MPs, the government’s plans will be officially presented on Tuesday – making the negotiations the longest to form a new government in modern Dutch history. His conciliation efforts fell short during an initial attempt immediately after the vote to form a coalition involving the eco-friendly Green-Left party. The average length of time taken to form a ruling coalition in modern Dutch history is 72 days, with the previous record of 207 days dating back to 1977. Neighbouring Belgium, however, holds the current world record: it took 541 days to form a federal government in Brussels after the 2010 election.

Source: The Guardian October 09, 2017 03:56 UTC