The Dutch Secretary of State for Finance, Nora Achahbar, announced her resignation on Friday after a crisis meeting, denouncing racist remarks made by one of her colleagues in the Council of Ministers in connection with the violence against Israelis in Amsterdam. The identity of the author of these comments and their precise content remain unknown at this time. His decision raised concerns about the stability of the right-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Dick Schoof, but this was ultimately preserved.
Nora Achahbar, 42, a former prosecutor of Moroccan origin and member of the New Social Contract (NSC) party, explained that she could no longer “effectively fulfill [sa] function” due to the “polarizing climate” within the government. “The polarizing behavior of recent weeks has had such an impact on me that I can no longer and no longer want to effectively fulfill my role as secretary of state,” she told reporters.
A coalition under high tension
The departure of Nora Achahbar threatened to weaken the government coalition, made up of four parties. The NSC, his party, holds 20 of the 150 seats in the lower house of Parliament, while the Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilders, a far-right group that came first in the 2023 legislative elections, holds 37. However , after a long crisis meeting on Friday evening, the NSC decided to maintain its support for the government.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof said: “As a government we have decided to continue together. » He also affirmed that “there has never been the slightest racism in [son] government or within the coalition parties.
The shadow Geert Wilders, leader of the far right
This controversy also comes after statements by Geert Wilders, who, during a parliamentary debate, blamed the violence in Amsterdam on “Muslims” and “Moroccans”.
Although not a member of the government, Geert Wilders remains an influential figure as an MP and leader of the PVV. At the end of the meeting, he expressed his satisfaction: “I am extremely happy that the government has not fallen. We trust in each other and we continue together. »
