The leader of the Netherlands’ ruling liberal party has said it could support far-Right firebrand Geert Wilders becoming prime minister but it would not officially join his government

Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, whose VVD came third in Wednesday’s Dutch elections, said her party would only support a Right-wing coalition from the sidelines, and in the hope of softening its policies.

The move could pave the way for an alliance between Mr Wilders’ far-Right, anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) and the centre-Right New Social Contract (NSC).

Mr Wilders, who secured a shock election victory with 37 seats, said Ms Yeşilgöz-Zegerius’s decision to rule out a coalition before any negotiations was “very disappointing”.

‘We are going to facilitate a cabinet of winners’

“The big winners are the PVV and NSC. After 13 years, a different role suits us,” she told reporters in The Hague on Friday.

“But we will make a centre-Right cabinet possible. We will support constructive proposals, so it is a form of tolerance,” she added, hinting at a confidence and supply agreement to prop up a minority coalition.

“We are going to facilitate a cabinet of winners.”

Her decision could serve as both a boost and a blow to Mr Wilders, who is vying to become Dutch prime minister after more than two decades as an outspoken, but isolated, politician.

“Very unfortunate. I hope they change their minds because governing is better than tolerating,” Mr Wilders said.

Without the liberals, the PVV leader will struggle to make up the 76 seats needed to form a majority government.

In the run-up to Wednesday’s national election, Mr Wilders, who campaigned to ban mosques, the Koran and Islam faith schools, toned down his incendiary rhetoric.

Pieter Omtzigt, the NSC leader, refused to be drawn on speculation over whether he could join a coalition with Mr Wilders, arguing: “It will indeed be complicated, everyone can see that from the results.”

Mr Omtzigt confirmed he would sit down on Monday with Gom van Strien, a PVV member of the Dutch upper house, who has been appointed as the official negotiator tasked with finding a coalition agreement.

He said it was “very special” that the liberal VVD had dropped out of the process before formal talks could be held.

During the campaign, Mr Omtzigt said he would not rule with Mr Wilders’ PVV as long as it wanted to ban Islam from the Netherlands.

Caroline van der Plan, the leader of the BBB farmers party, said she was willing to join a minority government “if it has to, then it has to”.

“In my opinion, it’s about the people and voters wanting something,” she added.

Brought to parliament building by tractors

Her newly elected MPs were brought to the parliament building by seven tractors, one for each politician.

The coalition talks are expected to last for months, especially with so many parties concerned over backing Mr Wilders and his far-Right views.

The VVD’s decision to not join the cabinet leaves Mr Wilders 12 short of a majority, but only if the NSC and BBB both sign up.

It is likely any agreement to form a government will see the firebrand forced to fully drop swathes of anti-Islamic policies and a plan to hold a Nexit referendum on the Netherlands’ membership of the European Union.

The last Dutch government took a record 299 days to form, with it expected to take even longer this time around.