The Hague (Netherlands), Jul 2 (AP) The Netherlands has a different prime minister for the first time in 14 years as Dutch King Willem-Alexander swore in the country's new government Tuesday, more than seven months after elections dominated by a far-right, anti-Islam party. Dick Schoof, former head of the Dutch intelligence agency and counterterrorism office, signed the official royal decree at Huis Ten Bosch Palace, saying he “declared and promised” to uphold his duties as the country's prime minister. The 67-year-old was formally installed alongside 15 other ministers who make up the country's right-leaning coalition.
The anti-immigration party of firebrand Geert Wilders won the largest share of seats in elections last year but it took 223 days to form a government. The new coalition quickly faced criticism of its marquee anti-immigration policies — by its own party members, as well as opposition groups. Protesters gathered in front of the palace where the ceremony took place on Tuesday, with one woman carrying a sign asking: “Are we democratically getting rid of our democracy?” The four parties in the coalition are Wilders' Party for Freedom, outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, the populist Farmer Citizen Movement and the centrist New Social Contract party.
The formal agreement creating the new coalition, titled “Hope, courage and pride,” introduces strict measures on asylum-seekers, scraps family reunif.
