Conservative lawmaker Geert Wilders followed through on his promise and bolted his party's ministers from the ruling coalition in a dispute over a crackdown on immigration.
Wilders told reporters, "I signed up for the toughest asylum policy and not the downfall of the Netherlands."
Wilders, whose Party for Freedom is still riding high in Dutch opinion polls, though the lead is small, has now forced new elections to be called.
The breaking point for Wilders, shown at right, came when he was unable to gain support for a 10-point plan which included stricter measures on immigration and asylum. Wilders wanted to close borders to asylum seekers and shut down asylum shelters, according to The BBC.
His coalition partners did not agree to these demands, leading Wilders to accuse them of failing to support tougher immigration policies.
Robert Spencer is the director of Jihad Watch and author of the new book, "Antisemitism: History and Myth.
“He wants to stop the mass (immigration). He wants to start deporting people who are not willing to assimilate into Dutch culture, and if he succeeds in that, then the Netherlands might have a chance."
Spencer says on the other hand, Dutch culture is in danger of disappearing if nothing is done.
"In light of the fact that the Muslim population is growing much more quickly than the non-Muslim population the Netherlands simply hasn't had a chance. It's going to become an Islamic State if something drastic isn't done. And Wilders, it's a shame, but it's true that Wilders is the only one on the scene who is actually talking about the real problem. So, if he succeeds, then the Netherlands has a future. If he does not succeed the Netherlands has no future. It's as simple as that."
