Deadlocked Dutch parties to explore unusual forms of government

By Bart H. Meijer

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Several Dutch political parties on Wednesday backed a call by far right leader Geert Wilders to explore unconventional forms of government to cobble together a viable coalition, as a traditional majority government looked unachievable.

Talks on a new government went back to square one earlier this week, almost three months after an election won by Wilders' nationalist PVV party but short of a majority, after prospective partner NSC backed out of joining any coalition led by Wilders.

The NSC's decision effectively scuttled the formation of any right-wing government that would have a majority in parliament.

The Netherlands traditionally is governed by majority coalitions that nail down their agreements in detailed government pacts.

But the country may have to resort to an unconventional form of government to avert new elections, as too many parties refuse to work with Wilders despite his promises to drop his most contentious plans - such as shutting down mosques and banning the Koran from the Netherlands.

"All options are on the table as far as I'm concerned," Wilders said in a parliamentary debate, adding he still aimed to lead a new coalition as prime minister. "We are not opting for new elections, we want to shoulder our responsibilities."

Options under consideration would include a minority government, or a more technocratic one in which ministers would not be bound by strict agreements between parties and would seek shifting majorities for their policies.

That last option was explicitly supported by the leaders of NSC and the center right VVD, the two main prospective partners for Wilders, although both struggled to explain how this would work.

"It's something new, for which I don't have a template," VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz said, adding she would prefer basic agreements between parties with a focus on government finances.

NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt urged parties on the sidelines to bring their ideas on a coalition to the table in the next weeks.

But several other parties, including the Labour-Green Left alliance, liberal D66 and Christian democratic CDA, showed little appetite to do so.

Wilders proposed that a new intermediary would consult all parliamentary party leaders in the next month to hear their preferences, and then select a group to move forward.

(Reporting by Bart Meijer; editing by Mark Heinrich and Bernadette Baum)