2023-11-23 00:17:00
The party of far-right, anti-Islamic populist Geert Wilders cruised to a comfortable victory in Wednesday’s parliamentary elections in the Netherlands, in one of the biggest setbacks in Dutch politics since World War II, and one that is sure to send shockwaves across Europe.
The result puts him in line to lead talks to form a new ruling coalition and perhaps become the country’s prime minister at a time of political turmoil in much of Europe.
However, to achieve the position, Wilders will have to negotiate with other parties and it is not clear who might join him, so his position is not secure.
The exit poll published by national broadcaster NOS indicated that Wilders’ Freedom Party won 35 seats in the lower house of parliament, out of 150, more than double the 17 it won in the last election.
“I had to pinch my arm. Voters said ‘we’re tired of this.’ “We made ourselves sick to our stomachs,” said a jubilant Wilders, adding that he was now on a mission to end the “asylum tsunami,” referring to the immigration issue that came to dominate the campaign.
Who is Wilders and why his victory causes a commotion
They have called him the Dutch Donald Trump. He has been threatened with death countless times by Islamic extremists, convicted of insulting Moroccans, and was once banned from entering the country by Britain.
He was long an agitator who attacked Islam, the EU and immigrants, a stance that brought him closer to power, but never at the helm of a nation known for its policies of commitment to humanitarian causes and its progressive nature.
Wilders, with his tongue of fire, has long been one of the best-known Dutch lawmakers at home and abroad. His populist policies and peroxide blonde hair have drawn comparisons to Trump. But unlike Trump, he seemed destined to spend his life in political opposition.
Anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders answers questions following the court delivered its verdict once morest a former Pakistani cricketer accused of incitement to kill, at the high-security court building near Schiphol airport, Monday, September 11, 2023.
Credit: Peter Dejong/AP
Wilders was born into a middle-class family in the southeast of the Netherlands, near the German border. From 1981 to 1983 he lived in Israel and traveled throughout the Middle East. On these trips, Wilders began to formulate the anti-Islamic views that would characterize his political career.
In 1997, he was elected to the Utrecht city council as a member of the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy. The following year, he was elected as an MP and, in the early 2000s, a wave of anti-Islamic sentiment in the Netherlands gave him a platform to express his radical ideas.
In 2004, filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered following releasing a short film that criticized the role of women in Muslim society. Amid public outrage surrounding the murder, Wilders became a leading voice on the political right, declaring Islam a “fascist ideology” and calling for restrictions on Muslim immigration to the Netherlands.
The only time Wilders came close to governing was when he supported the first coalition formed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte in 2010. But Wilders did not formally join the minority administration and brought it down following just 18 months in a dispute over austerity measures. . The main parties have since rejected it.
During the final weeks of his campaign, he softened his stance and promised that he would be a prime minister for all Dutch people, to the point that he earned the nickname Geert “Milders” (milder).
A turbulent political landscape in Europe
This Wednesday’s elections were called following the fourth and final coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned in July following failing to reach an agreement on measures to curb migration.
Rutte was replaced by Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, a former refugee from Turkey who might have become the country’s first female prime minister if her party had won the most votes.
Instead, it was predicted to lose 11 seats to end up with 23.
The election had been called close, but in the end Wilders comfortably defeated all his opponents.
The result is the latest in a series of elections that is altering the European political landscape. From Slovakia and Spain to Germany and Poland, populist and far-right parties have been gaining ground.
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