Dutch king calls for compromise as political turmoil leads to more elections

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – King Willem-Alexander appealed Tuesday for the return of a Dutch culture of compromise as the increasingly polarized Netherlands heads to the polls next month for its fourth general elections in less than nine years.

The king’s speech to a joint sitting in a Hague theater of both houses of parliament marks the formal opening of the political year and came against a backdrop of political turmoil and the looming Oct. 29 elections.

“Unfortunately, people in the Netherlands seem increasingly to be at loggerheads – on the street, online, at our universities, and not least in The Hague,” the king said in his “speech from the throne,” that is written by the government. “They have entrenched opinions for or against, black or white. As if one person being right automatically makes another wrong, while in reality the situation is almost always far more complex than that.”

Willem-Alexander, whose role as monarch and head of state is largely ceremonial, was speaking in a year when politicians in the ruling coalition were repeatedly at loggerheads.

The four-party coalition collapsed in June when anti-immigration populist lawmaker Geert Wilders withdrew his party – the biggest in parliament – from the administration headed by Prime Minister Dick Schoof, in a dispute over measures to rein in migration.

That left Schoof in charge of a caretaker administration until a new coalition is formed after the elections. But even in caretaker mode, the chaos deepened, with another party, the center-right New Social Contract, also pulling out its ministers last month in a dispute over imposing sanctions on Israel over its war in Gaza.

“The government understands that it too must display an open, receptive attitude and a willingness to compromise,” the king said. “Debate and differences of opinion are part of a living democracy. But so too is having the willingness to see beyond our differences and the maturity to reach out to each other.”

With only two parties left, the ruling caretaker coalition does not have a majority in the 150-seat lower house of parliament and has only limited powers, leaving the country almost in political limbo until a new government is formed. That process could take many months as parties in the splintered Dutch political landscape seek to find common ground on which to build a new coalition.

The king’s speech also touched on foreign policy, saying that two global issues stand out: “Russia’s ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. In both cases, the blood-spilling and horrific loss of human life must be brought to an end as soon as possible.”

He said the Netherlands will “continue its path of unwavering military, diplomatic and political support until a lasting peace for Ukraine is achieved.” Last week, Dutch F-35 fighter jets flying for NATO helped bring down Russian drones over Poland.

The king said that the Dutch government would work “with international partners” to seek a ceasefire in Gaza and will “continue pushing for an end to the violence and decent future prospects for all inhabitants of the region.”