THE HAGUE, 08/01/03 - Labour (PvdA) will have to make a "U-turn" if it wants to be considered for participation in government after the 22 January elections, according to Christian democratic (CDA) party chairman Verhagen. The chances of a CDA-PvdA coalition nonetheless appear to be growing.

The PvdA takes "Absolutely undesirable" positions on matters including healthcare reform, mortgage interest deductibility and integration of immigrants, said Verhagen yesterday at a meeting with the press. He considered introducing a more market-oriented healthcare system must not be postponed. "Partnership with the PvdA would not be easy," he added.

The CDA has repeatedly indicated its preference for a coalition with the conservatives (VVD), which is a mutual liking. Both parties also consider a coalition of two rather than three parties important in the context of stable government. But recent polls show the CDA and VVD failing to gain a majority in the 150-seat Lower House.

Pollster Maurice de Hond reported Monday that a CDA-PvdA coalition could count on a majority of 81 seats. The strong performance of party leader Wouter Bos during a widely watched TV debate between party leaders last weekend appears to have boosted the PvdA to 35 seats, 12 more than it has in parliament now. The CDA would win 46, a gain of 3, according to De Hond.

The VVD would have an unchanged 24 seats, giving a VVD-CDA coalition only 70 seats and necessitating a third party. But a partnership with the center-left (D66) or Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) would also fail to achieve a majority, De Hond noted, predicting just 5 seats for both.

The Socialist Party (SP) continues to perform strongly with a projected 20 seats, up 11, with the leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) dropping to 8 from 10. But neither is expected to join the government.