Ochtend Flits

Who is she?

Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius is the leader of the VVD and Deputy Prime Minister (vicepremier) in the Schoof cabinet. She took over from Mark Rutte in 2023 when he left for NATO. Her job since then has been to keep the VVD relevant in a coalition nominally led by PVV — a difficult position for a party that once said it would never govern with Geert Wilders.

She's the daughter of a Turkish political refugee who came to the Netherlands in the 1980s. This background has been noted, sometimes pointedly, given VVD's current hardline position on immigration.

Political style

Yeşilgöz is a professional communicator — polished, on-message, and disciplined. She doesn't make many unforced errors. She's moved VVD rightward on immigration to compete with PVV on its own territory, with mixed results.

Key positions

• Immigration: Tough. VVD under her has taken positions that would have been considered extreme by the party's own standards a decade ago.
• Hypotheekrenteaftrek: Wants to preserve it entirely. Argued the 2031 mortgage deduction crisis should be left to the next cabinet — a position her coalition partners D66 and CDA reject.
• Economy: Standard VVD — low taxes, pro-business, sceptical of regulation.

Coalition awkwardness

She publicly stated VVD would not govern with Wilders after the 2023 election. Then VVD ended up in the coalition supporting his government. She has defended this by arguing VVD's presence moderates the outcome. Critics call it capitulation.

Recent moves

• 2026: Coalition dispute over Hypotheekrenteaftrek — Yeşilgöz blocks any changes VVD didn't agree to in coalition formation talks, even when the deduction automatically increases in ways nobody planned for.