The Netherlands' new Government, led by non-partisan Prime Minister Dick Schoof, officially took office on Tuesday, after the ministers and state secretaries took the oath before Dutch King Willem-Alexander.
Exactly 223 days after Geert Wilders' far-right PVV party won the parliamentary elections, the Dutch Government is now taking office. In addition to Prime Minister Schoof, the new government team consists of 15 ministers and 13 state secretaries.
"My colleagues and I are very much looking forward to doing great things for the Netherlands," Schoof said after the swearing-in ceremony.
The Schoof Government has a very distinct right-wing signature: Wilders' far-right PVV provides five ministers and four state secretaries, right-wing liberal VVD and centrist NSC each have four ministers and three state secretaries, and the right-wing populist BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) ​​has two ministers and three state secretaries in the new government.
Kabinet-Schoof op het bordes.#kabinetSchoof
📷 RVD pic.twitter.com/kpkNlbqFj7 — Dick Schoof (@MinPres) July 2, 2024
Two government members – Agriculture Minister Femke Wiersma (BBB) ​​and State Secretary for Taxation Folkert Idsinga (NSC) – did not take their oath in Dutch on Tuesday, but in Frisian (which is also recognised as an official language in the Netherlands).
After the swearing-in ceremony, the King posed for a photo with the new team of ministers. They then left for their ministries for the traditional handover: the cabinet of former Prime Minister Mark Rutte transferred all the files to the Schoof cabinet, and Rutte handed over the key to the building and the gavel of the council of ministers.
The first cabinet meeting will take place after all the ceremonial duties. On Wednesday and Thursday, there will be debates in the House of Representatives about the government's declaration of policy. This summer, the ministers will start writing the government programme based on the coalition agreement.
With the arrival of the Schoof Government, the almost-14-year rule of Mark Rutte – the country's longest-serving Prime Minister in history – officially comes to an end. On Sunday, he gave a farewell speech, and he will become NATO Secretary General in October.
