THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders won a huge victory in Dutch elections, according to a near complete count of the vote early Thursday, in a stunning lurch to the far right for a nation once famed as a beacon of tolerance.
The result will send shockwaves through Europe, where far-right ideology is on the rise, and puts Wilders in line to lead talks to form the next governing coalition and possibly become the first far-right prime minister of the Netherlands.
With nearly all votes counted, Wilders’ Party for Freedom was forecast to win 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, two more than predicted by an exit poll when voting finished Wednesday night and more than double the 17 he won at the last election.
“I had to pinch my arm,” a jubilant Wilders said.
Political parties were set to hold separate meetings Thursday to discuss the outcome before what is likely to be an arduous process of forming a new governing coalition begins Friday.
Despite his harsh rhetoric, Wilders has already begun courting other right and center parties by saying in a victory speech that whatever policies he pushes will be “within the law and constitution.”
Wilders’ election program included calls for a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the European Union, a total halt to accepting asylum-seekers and migrant pushbacks at Dutch borders.
Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom, known as PVV, casts his ballot in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Dutch voters cast ballots in a general election that will usher in a new prime minister for the first time in 13 years, with the rising cost of living and migration topping electoral concerns in a country that plays an important role in EU affairs and global trade and tourism. Credit: AP/Mike Corder
It also advocates the “de-Islamization” of the Netherlands. He says he wants no mosques or Islamic schools in the country, although he has been milder about Islam during this…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply