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After the fall of the Cals cabinet on 15 October 1966, following the Night of Schmelzer, a cabinet formation took place in Netherlands. On 22 November, this resulted in the Zijlstra cabinet. The minority cabinet was formed by Catholic People's Party (KVP) and the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP). It was a rump cabinet of the Cals cabinet, but without the Labour Party (PvdA).

Background

During the 1965 cabinet formation, the Cals cabinet was formed comprising the Catholic People's Party (KVP), Labour Party (PvdA) and the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP). During the debate on the 1967 budget from 12 to 14 October, later named the Night of Schmelzer, KVP parliamentary leader Norbert Schmelzer submitted a motion that was critical of the budget presented by Minister of Finance Anne Vondeling (PvdA). The motion was supported by the majority of the KVP parliamentary group, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), Christian Historical Union (CHU) and three small parties on the right, and received a majority. Cals had already signalled that adoption of the motion would be seen as a motion of no confidence, and the cabinet resigned on 15 October.

Formateur Schmelzer

On 18 October, Queen Juliana appointed Schmelzer formateur with the task of forming a cabinet. The same day, Cals informed Schmelzer that his cabinet would not call for new elections, because it did not experience sufficient confidence for this important decision. Reconstruction of the cabinet was unlikely, because it would require either the execution of the motion by the Cals cabinet or the renouncing of the motion by the KVP. The PvdA publicly stated that they wanted to continue with the Cals cabinet, but behind closed doors their goal was to divide the KVP and achieve their long-desired breakthrough with Catholic workers. Other options, would be a cabinet of KVP and ARP with either CHU or VVD. Schmelzer wanted to avoid the latter, to avoid getting ahead of the next elections.^[1]

Search for a Prime Minister

An important task was for Schmelzer was to find a Prime Minister. Cals was only available for a cabinet with the same parties and nearly the same personnel.^[2] Schmelzer either could not or did not want to do it himself. Former KVP Prime Minister Louis Beel agreed and provided several arguments: the need for continuity in the parliamentary group, avoiding a clear political figure to lead an interim cabinet, avoiding the impression that the crisis was orchestrated to become prime minister, and personal circumstances. The latter referred to his handicapped children and the fact that his wife was cheating on him. Schmelzer asked former KVP minister Jan van den Brink, but he was only available in case of a "national emergency".^[3]

On 20 October, Schmelzer contacted former ARP Finance Minister Jelle Zijlstra, who had been appointed president of De Nederlandsche Bank but was not set to start until 1 May 1967. Zijlstra responded that he would first need the support of his own party, the ARP. The parliamentary group had voted against the motion, making it illogical for a party member to lead an interim cabinet responsible for implementing it. Within his party, a power struggle was also going on between parliamentary group leader Bauke Roolvink, who had wanted to vote in favour of the motion, and Deputy Prime Minister Barend Biesheuvel, who had prevented that. While this was ongoing, Zijlstra could not accept, but was open to it if things had cleared up.^[4]

Schmelzer then approached former CHU Minister Jan de Pous, but he feared he would not be able to return to his position as chair of the Social and Economic Council (SER) afterwards. De Pous refused on 29 October. Former KVP Prime Minister Jan de Quay also declined. Meanwhile on 31 October, Biesheuvel and Roolvink presented Schmelzer with a compromise, with which the Cals cabinet might be able to continue. Schmelzer however disagreed with the delay of the tax reduction and did not expect the PvdA to agree with additional coverage in the budget. Schmelzer thus decided to ignore this plan.^[4]

Schmelzer had found Defence Minister Piet de Jong as candidate Prime Minister. However KVP Minister of Social Affairs and Health Gerard Veldkamp objected and would not cooperate unless he would be Prime Minister. On 3 November, Schmelzer gave up.^[4]

Informateur Beel

On 4 November, Queen Juliana appointed Beel informateur. He first explored whether the cabinet could be reconstructed, which Biesheuvel preferred. He presented a compromise, but on 13 November, PvdA parliamentary group leader Gerard Nederhorst declined.

Formateur Zijlstra

Formateur Jelle Zijlstra on 17 November 1966.

The ministers of the Zijlstra cabinet.

Citations

^ Van Merriënboer 2010, pp. 388–390.
^ Van Merriënboer 2010, p. 393.
^ Van Merriënboer 2010, pp. 390–391.
^ ^a ^b ^c Van Merriënboer 2010, p. 392.

References

Van Merriënboer, Johan (2010). "'Jelle zal wel zien': Het overgangskabinet-Zijlstra". In Van der Heiden, Peter; Van Kessel, Alexander (eds.). Rondom de Nacht van Schmelzer: De kabinetten-Marijnen, -Cals en -Zijlstra 1963-1967 (in Dutch). Boom. ISBN 9789461053626.