The Dutch coalition government collapsed today over irreconcilable differences on whether to extend the Netherlands' military mission in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende announced that the second largest party in his three-party alliance is quitting, in a breakdown of trust in what had always been an uneasy partnership.
Balkenende made no mention of elections as he spoke to reporters after a 16-hour Cabinet meeting in The Hague that ended close to dawn.
However, the resignation of the Labour Party would leave his government with an unworkable majority, and political analysts said early elections appeared inevitable.
Balkenende said his Christian Democratic Alliance would continue in office together with the small Christian Union, and would "make available" Labour's cabinet seats. But he did not spell out his intentions.
The coalition, elected to a four-year term, marks its third year in office on Monday.
"Where there is no trust, it is difficult to work together. There is no road along which this cabinet to go further," Balkenende said.
The political outcome also left uncertainty over the fate of the 1,600 Dutch soldiers in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan, where they were deployed in 2006 for a two-year stint that was extended until next August.
