The decision by Ronald Plasterk to drop his hopes of becoming prime minister has raised many questions about who might now be nominated by far-right leader Geert Wilders.

Plasterk, who had not been formally nominated for the role, pulled out because he is the subject of an investigation into a patent that made him millions. His decision has now left commentators wondering if there is a plan B.

Wilders and the other three leaders of the new coalition parties have all agreed to remain in parliament – a move seen as a sop to Wilders who could not muster enough support among his coalition partners to take on the role as PM.

However, the lack of alternatives highlights the fact that the PVV has no formal party structure, no members and no pool of possible candidates.

Some names have been suggested, including Kim Putters, like Plasterk a Labour supporter, who also helped steer the coalition negotiations and is thought to be a favourite of the NSC. 

Another possible candidate, according to the AD, would be Steven van Eijck who was a junior finance minister years ago and has since held a string of public sector jobs. Like Putters, he is a member of the social and economic council but has no party affiliations. 

Elbert Dijkgraaf, a stalwart of the fundamentalist Protestant party SGP, who helped finalise the coalition agreement has also been mentioned, as has Mona Keijzer, number two on the BBB list. However, she is not without history, given she was sacked by Mark Rutte as junior economic affairs minister for her opposition to the government’s coronavirus measures while a member of the CDA. 

Keijzer also hit the headlines again last weekend after asserting that only Muslim immigrants needed to learn about the Holocaust as part of their integration programme because the “hatred of Jews is part of the culture in Islamic countries”.

Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb told current affair programme Buitenhof on Sunday that “Mr Wilders himself” is the best candidate for the job.

“It would be great for this cabinet to ask him,” Aboutaleb said. “Its obvious, isn’t it. It is such a break with tradition not to have the leader of the biggest party as prime minister. So let Mr Wilders lead this cabinet.”

Authority

Meanwhile, the AD on Tuesday described the situation as a “soap opera that does not bode well for the authority of the new coalition”. 

Wilders is unlikely to come up with anyone who is a member of the VVD, NSC or BBB because he considers himself to be the winner of the November election, the paper said. And there is no one, the paper points out, within the pool of PVV parliamentarians with the experience to lead a cabinet.

MPs are likely to debate the coalition agreement on Wednesday without knowing who the next prime minister will be.