Insiders expect it will be several weeks at least before the next Dutch government poses with king Willem-Alexander on the steps of one of his palaces. So what happens next?

Richard van Zwol, one of the two men who led the successful negotiations, will now take over the job of allocating ministeries to the four parties and finding suitable ministers. This job is usually done by the next prime minister, but given the new partners do not yet have one, Van Zwol has been asked to stay on.

He has already said it will be four to five weeks before the next part of his work is completed, so a new cabinet will not start work until the week of June 24 at the earliest. Parliament is due to go into recess on July 5 and will start work again on September 2.

Parliament will debate the four parties’ proposals for government strategy next Wednesday. After that, Van Zwol will meet the four party leaders and start work on dividing up the ministerial posts and working out exactly what the ministers will do.

The new partners have already decided, for example, that the agriculture ministry will be known as “agriculture and fisheries”.

The partners have also already agreed that half of the ministers and junior ministers should come from “outside” politics and be experts in their field. The others should be party members and have political experience.

The far right PVV, the Volkskrant notes, will also have to define who counts as being affiliated to the party, given it only has one member – Geert Wilders.

Names are already circulating – VVD MP Eelco Heinen has been tipped as finance minister, for example. But the big question remains, who will be prime minister?

Ronald Plasterk, a former Labour minister, appears to be Geert Wilders’ candidate of choice, but as yet there has been no announcement and Wilders told reporters on Thursday that the decision will be taken later.

On Friday, the Telegraaf published an “apology” by Plasterk to NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt over comments he made earlier in the coalition process – a move which may have been meant to clear the air but has also raised eyebrows.

Grilled by MPs

Once Van Zwol and the four party leaders have put their ministerial team together, they will be questioned by MPs as to their motivation and suitability. This will be the first time potential ministers have been subjected to a grilling by parliament.

After that, the new look cabinet will pose with the king and then start fleshing out the headline strategy in the coalition deal into a workable document. The current ministers – who are all working on in a caretaker capacity – will then step down.

The Volkskrant suggests the new cabinet may also try to put together some form of declaration about its aims for the country before the summer break. What ever happens, ministers will be keen to have proper plans worked out in full ahead of the September 17 budget.