A week ago, this seemed unthinkable, but on Wednesday evening Geert Wilders was the big winner in the Dutch elections once again.
When the election day poll results were released on Wednesday evening, cheers erupted at the PVV vigil.
Words such as “earthquake” and “shock waves” were repeated in the Dutch media after Wednesday’s election. Many write that the earthquake and waves are also creating uncertainty at the EU headquarters in Brussels.
The far-right Wilders wants to hold a referendum on the European Union, which he has already called “Next.” He is skeptical about supporting Ukraine’s war against Russia. He believes climate policy spends good money on bad projects.
He wants a radical change in Dutch and European immigration policy. What does it mean for the far-right to win the elections in the Netherlands?
It is difficult to form a government
Traditionally, the winner of the election is the one who tries to form a government first. This is what the results look like:
- Wilders gets 37 seats out of 150 seats in Parliament. This is an improvement 20.
- The second largest would be a merger of the Green Party and the Social Democrats. Under the leadership of former EU climate commissioner Frans Timmermans, they gained 25 representatives.
- Wilders has made it a priority to keep Timmermans out of government offices. Now he may have to negotiate with the conservative Liberal Party (the Freedom Party, with 24 representatives) and the New Social Contract (the National Security Council, with 20 representatives).
While negotiations are underway, outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte will take over the management of the Business Ministry. The last time he formed a government, in 2022, it took 299 days to reach the finish line. The Dutch are prepared that it will take some time now as well.
Condemned and banned
Dutch analysts believe that Wilders’ victory came as a result of him appearing more moderate than before. At the same time, the Liberal Party has tightened its own immigration policy.
Wilders said during his election campaign that he would put proposals to ban the Qur’an and mosques in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, the party’s new leader, Dutch-Turkish Dylan Yesilgöz Zygerius, has opened the door to joining a government with Wilders. She did not imagine that he would have the best starting point in negotiations.
Analysts believe that the openness to government cooperation made Wilders appear more than a housewife.
For the party leader, who has been convicted of racist remarks, this is a major turnaround. British daily Mail It suggests the man behind the ‘sudden victory’ has been banned from entering the UK due to hate speech.
On election night, Wilders said he would negotiate to form a government. He assured voters that he was moderate. The party will not demand a policy that violates the constitution. Banning the Qur’an would be unconstitutional.
Although Wilders strays far to the right when it comes to immigration, he leans more to the left on social policy.
Greetings from friends
The first congratulations to Wilders came from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and French party leader Marine Le Pen. In Italy, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said Wilders showed that “a new Europe is possible.”
POLITICO He writes that Wilders is “the EU’s worst nightmare.” Because although Wilders downplayed his Islamophobia, he stuck to his promise that the Dutch would vote on the European Union.
He will become an ally of Italy’s Giorgia Meloni. So far, she has pleased her colleagues in the European Union by being more moderate than many feared on foreign policy. If Wilders sits at the summit table, the dynamic may change.
The Netherlands helped found what is now known as the European Union. Opinion polls indicate that a large majority will vote against “Next.” But Wilders’ acquisition of political power may make operating in Brussels more difficult.
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