THE HAGUE – What is expected to be a complex process to form a new Dutch government got underway Monday with leaders of parties that won seats in last week's parliamentary elections laying out their preferred coalition options.
One-by-one, leaders met with two “scouts” appointed to take stock of possible coalitions and report them to the newly elected lower house of parliament before its first session on March 31.
The scouts come from the parties that won the most seats in last Wednesday's election, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, or VVD, led by caretaker prime minister, Mark Rutte, and the centrist D66 party, which recorded one of its best election results to become the second biggest party.