Wilders ready to forego job of Dutch prime minister

Far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders says he is ready to forego the job of prime minister after months of haggling with potential coalition partners to form a government.

"I can only become prime minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. That was not the case," he acknowledged on X, formerly Twitter.

"The love for my country and voters is great and more important than my own position."

Wilders Party for Freedom won the parliamentary elections in November with 37 of the 150 seats. Talks to form a right-wing government with three other parties began days after his shock victory, but the negotiations have been in disarray since January.

Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the centre-right New Social Contract (NSC) party both refused to enter into a coalition led by him.