Geert Wilders, the Dutch far-right populist who advocates a total ban on immigration in the Netherlands, has convincingly won the parliamentary elections. Beating all expectations, his Freedom Party (PVV) won 37 of the 150 seats, well ahead of the Labour/Green alliance (25 seats) and the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte (24 seats), reports Reuters.
“The Ritte era ends with a right-wing populist uprising that shakes the Hague to its foundations,” Reuters quoted the Dutch centre-right newspaper NRC. In his victory speech, Geert Wilders, known for his provocative stance on Islam, promised
to stop what he called the “asylum and immigration tsunami”.
According to Reuters, he has also received death threats as a result of his instigated views, which has resulted in years of strict police protection. He has called the Prophet Muhammad a “paedophile”, described Islam as a “fascist ideology” and a “backward religion”, and advocated the banning of mosques and the Muslim holy book, the Koran, in the Netherlands.
Geert Wilders is also a self-proclaimed admirer of Hungarian Viktor Orban and has spoken out against the European Union (EU), calling on the Netherlands to tighten controls on its borders, reduce payments to the EU and oppose the admission of new member states, including Ukraine. He has insisted that arms aid to Ukraine must be stopped, arguing that the Netherlands needs them for its own self-defence.
But none of the potential coalition partners share Wilders’ views.
Wilders wants to form a right-wing government with the conservative VVD and the newcomer New Social Contract, which would give a total of 81 seats, but the possible negotiations could be complicated as both parties have expressed reservations given Wilders’ openly anti-Islam and anti-EU stance, according to Reuters.
In his victory speech, Wilders expressed confidence that a deal will be reached and stressed the importance of avoiding unconstitutional measures and his readiness to lead the country.
Meanwhile, Mark Rutte will continue as interim leader until a new government is formed in the first half of 2024, reports Reuters.
Read also: VIDEO | Dutch far-right leader attacked on election night
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