The Party for Freedom (PVV), led by far-right firebrand leader Geert Wilders, emerged as the single largest party in the Dutch election by bagging 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of Parliament. Wilders, who became popular in India after backing now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s controversial remarks on the Prophet, will now have to cobble up a coalition to ensure it has 76 seats in Parliament.
“The PVV can no longer be ignored. We will govern,” BBC quoted Wilders, known for his inflammatory views on Islam, as saying.
❤️ 37 ZETELS ❤️ pic.twitter.com/kzD6PiiCkQ
— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) November 23, 2023
Left-leaning Labour-Green party alliance led by former EU commissioner Frans Timmermans finished second on 25 seats while People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which won the previous four elections, ended up with 23 seats, as per the latest information available. Wilders wants to be the Prime Minister now, reported news agency Reuters, and would need to form post-poll alliances. This could mean giving up some of his extreme manifesto promises that include a ban on the Quran and the closure of mosques, reported American news website CNBC.
While Timmermans has previously declined to be part of a Wilders-led government, VVD leader Dilan Yesilgoz, outgoing PM Mark Rutte’s successor as the head of the party, said she was open to the idea, BBC reported.
As soon as trends showed poll results would go in favour of Wilders, far-right politicians across Europe, including France’s Marine Le Pen, Italy’s Matteo Salvini in Italy, and Germany’s AfD congratulated the leader, who is often called “Dutch Trump” for his swept-back blonde hairstyle and strong views against immigrants.
Who Is Geert Wilders? What Has He Promised?
The 60-year-old Wilders has been a member of Parliment for 25 years. Wilders, born on September 6, 1963, started his political journey as a member of Mark Rutte’s party. However, he left the party to serve as an independent lawmaker and formed the Freedom Party in 2006.
His election campaign was largely focused on holding a referendum to leave the European Union, dubbed as “Nexit”, and a total halt to accepting asylum-seekers. Interstingly, Netherlands is one of the founding members of the European Union.
While Wilders had called for bans on mosques, the Quran and Islamic headscarves in government buildings in his party’s manifesto, he softened his anti-Islam rhetoric in the run-up to the vote. During campaigning, Wilders said he was prepared to “put in the fridge” his policies on banning mosques. The strategy seemed to have worked and doubled his party’s numbers in Parliament, BBC reported.
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