Political outsider, former spy chief: Meet the proposed new Dutch PM

Former Dutch intelligence chief and political outsider Dick Schoof said he will uphold the rule of law and govern for all after being proposed as prime minister of the incoming right-wing cabinet.

He said he had been asked to lead by the four parties that will form the new government – not only by Geert Wilders' nationalist PVV, the clear winner of the November 22 election.

"I am not affiliated to any party, I am not standing here in the name of the PVV... I want to be the prime minister of all the Dutch," said Schoof, who has had no previous experience in parliament or in government.

Election winner Wilders earlier in May reached an agreement on forming the government with three other conservative parties, after ruling himself out of the top job.

Schoof, 67, is currently the senior official at the Dutch ministry of justice, having led the intelligence agency AIVD and anti-terrorism agency NCTV for years. He was the head of the Dutch immigration service in the early 2000s.

"I guess it will be a surprise for a lot of people that I'm standing here. It's actually also a surprise for me," he told reporters.

In its governing plan published on May 16, the coalition said it would aim for the "strictest-ever asylum regime" with stronger border controls and harsher rules for asylum seekers, setting up a potential clash with the EU before even taking office.

Looser ties

Schoof will head a cabinet the four parties have said would have looser ties to parliament. It could take weeks to put together, with the parties all negotiating over the portfolios and responsibilities.

Once he has formed a government, set to be the most right-wing in the Netherlands in decades, he will be sworn in by the king and officially become prime minister.

"Congratulations Dick. Dick Schoof has a great track record, is not a member of any party and thus stands above the parties, is honest and, on top of it, very friendly," Wilders wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

That government will, however, have to stick to the agreement reached by the four parties, which is aiming to secure exceptions on EU asylum and environmental rules.

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"I think that, in all my positions, the common thread has always been the functioning of democratic rule of law and that will help me in my function as prime minister," Schoof said, adding that Mark Rutte – the outgoing prime minister who has held that role since 2010 – is for him "a form of inspiration in the way he handles things."

Far-right leader Wilders said recently he expected the new government to be operational by the end of June.

Besides his experience at the intelligence and anti-terrorism services, Schoof has also worked on reforming the police force.

Having worked mostly on domestic policies, Schoof, a divorced father of two, does not have a high international profile.

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