Anti-dhimmitude from D66. From the Financial Times, with thanks to Arjun:
A dispute over the citizenship of Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali brought down the Dutch government yesterday when D66, the junior member of the centre-right coalition, walked out after demanding the resignation of Rita Verdonk, the hard-line immigration minister.
Jan Peter Balkenende, prime minister, told parliament he would go to Queen Beatrix today to begin the process of consultations that could lead either to his Christian democrat alliance continuing to govern as a minority coalition with Mrs Verdonk’s liberal VVD, or to a snap general election.
The crisis came as two D66 cabinet ministers and a state secretary with the centrist party resigned.
It is the second time in less than four years that a government led by Mr Balkenende has collapsed. He told Dutch television news: “It does not affect me that much. I am busy with the future, doing what I believe in.”
Mrs Verdonk had survived a no-confidence vote yesterday, thanks to the support of her liberal VVD and the Christian democrat CDA, but D66, the junior member of the three-party coalition, insisted she resign anyway.