Dutch coalition talks between 4 parties fail again

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – An attempt to breathe new life into talks between four parties to a coalition government in the Netherlands has failed, with the veteran negotiator leading exploratory discussions saying a coalition is not possible.

The announcement Monday evening by Herman Tjeenk Willink means that the Netherlands still has no immediate prospect of a new government nearly three months after March 15 parliamentary elections, and opens the possibility of a minority coalition.

The announcement came after days of informal talks involving election winner the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, or VVD, led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the Christian Democrats, the centrist D66 party and pro-environment Green Left party.

Earlier talks between the parties collapsed mid-May due to differences in their stances on migration issues.