Dutch government survives crisis

The Dutch government of Jan-Peter Balkenende survived the resignation of deputy prime minister Thom de Graaf (D'66). De Graaf was Minister of Administrative Reforms and Kingdom Relations (dealing with the overseas autonomous countries Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles). He wanted to implement direct elections of the mayor (who is now appointed by the government) and reform the electoral system. These were the showpieces of the left-liberal D'66. To implement the direct mayor elections, the constitution had to be changed. The oppositional Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA, Socialist) wants to change this article in the constitution, but wants the mayor to be elected by the municipal council. Moreover, the PvdA saw a possibility to make the government fall, so it refused to contribute to the needed 2/3 majority needed for the constitutional amendment. Since these changes were recorded in the coalition agreement, this agreement had to be renegotiated. Finally, the other D'66 ministers got more money for education and research. This weekend, the party members approved the new agreement in a referendum.

D'66 is a party that outlived its own existence. The left liberals originate in the second half of the sixties and have referenda, direct major and prime minister elections and electoral reforms as the major items in the party platform. Besides this, there doesn't seem to be a coherent programme on social-economic or other major issues (cfr. Spirit in Flanders, which is actually modelled after D'66). After several participations in Dutch governments, the party is left with only 6 seats in the Lower House and polls show it isn't going to be any better. Direct mayor election do not work in continental Europe, since it would diminish the role of the municipal council and it could lead to a 'cohabitation' between a mayor of one party and a municipal coalition of other parties (which would decrease the strength of the municipal government). In any case, there doesn't seem major support for these issues and even if a substantial part of the population supports it, it doesn't seem to be a critical issue in elections. D'66 needs to become a full-programme party in order to survive. And even then, there is already enough choice in the Dutch left of the political spectrum.