Current:Home > BackNew Dutch leader pledges to cut immigration as the opposition vows to root out racists in cabinet-LoTradeCoin
New Dutch leader pledges to cut immigration as the opposition vows to root out racists in cabinet
View Date:2024-12-23 23:35:08
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof gave his first speech to parliament on Wednesday, pledging that he will work hard at one of his new goverment’s main aims: reducing immigration.
“The biggest of those concerns is asylum and migration. That is the crux of the matter, no matter how you look at it,” said Schoof, who is not a member of any of the four parties that make up the coalition government.
Schoof formally took the reins from long serving prime minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday. The 67-year old former head of the Dutch intelligence agency and counterterrorism office was a surprise choice for the top spot.
The anti-immigration party of firebrand Geert Wilders won the largest share of seats in elections last year and took 223 days to form a four-party government. Opposition from other coalition partners prevented the controversial Wilders from taking the prime minister’s job.
The four parties in the coalition are Wilders’ Party for Freedom, Rutte’s center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, the populist Farmer Citizen Movement and the centrist New Social Contract party.
Schoof is now expected to shepherd the coalition agreement into government policy.
The formal agreement creating the new government, titled “Hope, courage and pride,” introduces strict measures on asylum-seekers, scraps family reunification for refugees and seeks to reduce the number of international students studying in the country.
“Migration puts too much pressure on social services and social cohesion. The asylum and migration figures are high and so is the pressure on society,” Schoof told the Dutch lawmakers.
Opposition politicians wasted no time in criticizing the new government. “For the first time, a party with extreme right-wing ideas is taking a seat in (the cabinet),” said Frans Timmermans, leader of the social democrat-greens alliance, addressing parliament immediately after Schoof.
Timmermans then called the policies of Wilders’ party “racist” and announced he would submit a motion of no-confidence against two of its cabinet members over their views on “repopulation” and believe in conspiracy theories alleging a plot to diminish the influence of white people.
Wilders denied accusations that any of his party members are racist. “Not a single (Party For Freedom) member in the House, in the cabinet, in the country, has anything to do with racist Nazi theories,” he said in the assembly.
The debate will continue through Thursday.
veryGood! (31425)
Related
- Mother of Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym Details His Final Moments
- Goodyear Blimp coverage signals pickleball's arrival as a major sport
- Full transcript of Face the Nation, Dec. 3, 2023
- We all know physical fitness is crucial. But how many days weekly should you work out?
- King Charles III celebrates 76th birthday amid cancer battle, opens food hubs
- Heavy rains lash India’s southern and eastern coasts as they brace for a powerful storm
- The North Korean leader calls for women to have more children to halt a fall in the birthrate
- Global journalist group says Israel-Hamas conflict is a war beyond compare for media deaths
- KFC sues Church's Chicken over 'original recipe' fried chicken branding
- In some Czech villages, St Nicholas leads a parade with the devil and grim reaper in tow
Ranking
- Jimmy Kimmel, more late-night hosts 'shocked' by Trump Cabinet picks: 'Goblins and weirdos'
- Las Vegas police search for lone suspect in homeless shootings
- Henry Kissinger’s unwavering support for brutal regimes still haunts Latin America
- Live updates | Israel’s military calls for more evacuations in southern Gaza as it widens offensive
- Powerball winning numbers for Nov. 13 drawing: Jackpot rises to $113 million
- North Korea accuses US of double standards for letting South Korea launch spy satellite from US soil
- Israel-Hamas war combat resumes in Gaza as Israelis accuse the Palestinian group of violating cease-fire
- CFP committee makes safe call in choosing Alabama over FSU. And it's the right call.
Recommendation
-
MLS playoff teams set: Road to MLS Cup continues with conference semifinals
-
Florence Pugh Is Hit in the Face by a Thrown Object at Dune: Part Two Event
-
Former top Ohio utility regulator surrenders in $60 million bribery scheme linked to energy bill
-
Global warming could cost poor countries trillions. They’ve urged the UN climate summit to help
-
Deommodore Lenoir contract details: 49ers ink DB to $92 million extension
-
Horoscopes Today, December 3, 2023
-
Shooting at home in Washington state kills 5 including the suspected shooter, report says
-
NFL playoff picture: Packers leap into NFC field, Chiefs squander shot at lead for top seed