A political ally of the far-right Dutch election victor, Geert Wilders, involved in the initial phase of forming a new governing coalition, has stepped down due to allegations of fraud. The abrupt departure of Gom van Strien, a senator from Mr. Wilders’ Party for Freedom, has thrown the nascent government formation process into disarray.
The appointment of van Strien as a “scout” to explore potential coalition partnerships was made just last week. Scheduled meetings with Mr. Wilders and other party leaders on November 27 were subsequently canceled following his resignation.