Parliamentarians in the Tweede Kamer backed an initiative to force the Cabinet to put an end to mandatory health insurance deductibles, the portion of healthcare that people living in the Netherlands have to pay out of pocket. The amount, which is fixed at a minimum of 385 euros, is on top of the premiums paid for the basic health insurance package. The motion won support from a range of politicians from the left and right towards the end of a political debate on Wednesday night.
PVV leader Geert Wilders briefly visited a meeting in Kijkduin on Tuesday evening where locals protested against the arrival of asylum seekers. The move raised eyebrows among other politicians, including potential coalition partners NSC and BBB, Nieuwsuur reports.
PVV leader Geert Wilders said on Tuesday he hopes that parties will at least sit with and talk to him about forming a coalition. He expressed his desire to form a government with VVD, NSC, and BBB after the meeting where Ronald Plasterk was appointed as the new scout for the Cabinet formation process. "My approach would be: start talking to each other and then we'll see if it works out or not. Without talking, nothing will succeed," Wilders stated.
At the start of the “Debate of the South”, which was organized and broadcast by Omroep Zeeland, Omroep Brabant, and L1, the party leaders attacked each other fiercely throughout the televised debate on the issues of livelihood and the asylum distribution law, RTL Nieuws reported. For instance, SP leader Lilian Marijnissen directly attacked VVD list leader Dilan Yeşilgöz on the issue of poverty policy. The Cabinet even has a minister for poverty policy, while corporate profits are high, sighed the socialist. "That's how sad it is," Marijnissen said.