Four Parties Form Coalition in The Hague, Ending Negotiations

Political parties Hart voor Den Haag, VVD, DENK, and CDA have reached a coalition agreement to govern The Hague. Informant Aboutaleb communicated the agreement to the city council, with Hart voor Den Haag faction leader De Mos sharing the details. This accord marks the return of De Mos and his party to The Hague's executive college after a seven-year absence. The four parties collectively hold 24 out of 45 seats in the city council. De Mos stated that their parties are more aligned on policy than Hart voor Den Haag was with D66. Negotiations among the four parties commenced in late May, with De Mos fulfilling his promise to present a new college of mayor and aldermen before the summer break. Hart voor Den Haag achieved a significant victory in the March municipal elections, securing 16 seats, representing nearly a third of the votes cast in The Hague. Previous attempts to form a coalition with D66, which won 8 seats, failed due to disagreements over asylum seeker accommodation. Hart voor Den Haag's proposal to cancel plans for a former hospital site and close existing facilities was deemed "extreme ideas" by D66, leading to the impasse. To comply with the legal limit of nine full-time aldermen, two aldermen will serve part-time, as reported by Omroep West. De Mos is the primary alderman candidate for Hart voor Den Haag, with faction members Arjen Dubbelaar and Ralf Sluijs also slated for college positions. De Mos and Hart voor Den Haag were previously excluded from the college due to corruption allegations against De Mos and his party. In April 2023, De Mos and six others were acquitted of corruption charges, with the court finding no basis for the suspicions. While an appeals court also resulted in acquittal, it did find that De Mos and colleague Rachid Guernaoui had breached their official secrecy, leading to a suspended fine of 2,000 euros for De Mos.