2023-11-23 00:06:10
The Netherlands is moving to the far right. Exit polls suggest Geert Wilders’ Islamophobic Dutch party won the parliamentary election on Wednesday. A result synonymous with a political earthquake, which will be felt well beyond the borders of the Netherlands. The PVV (Freedom Party) won 35 seats, according to the Ipsos poll. The left alliance of Frans Timmermans is second with 26 seats. The center-right VVD won 23 seats, according to this poll.
“We can no longer be ignored,” Geert Wilders told his supporters in The Hague, calling on other parties to work together to form a coalition. “The Dutch hope that the people can reclaim their country and that we will ensure that the tsunami of asylum seekers and immigration is reduced. »
If confirmed by the final results, his victory will mark a sudden shift to the right which will be greeted with apprehension in Brussels: the PVV has notably promised a referendum on the accession of the Netherlands to the European Union. “It may not be what other parties in Europe or other countries are looking for, but hey, that’s democracy,” the 60-year-old politician said after voting.
His anti-immigration message, including closing borders and deporting illegal immigrants, appears to have resonated with Dutch voters. But if the leader of the Freedom Party seems to have triumphed in the polls, it is not certain that he will succeed in forming a government coalition. The leaders of the other three main parties have assured that they will not participate in a coalition led by the PVV. Kate Parker, of the Economist Intelligence Unit, said it would lead to a “constitutional impasse” in the EU’s fifth-largest economy.
Wilders smoothed out his populist rhetoric
Geert Wilders and his peroxide mane have been in the Dutch political landscape for decades. Not hesitating to call Moroccans “scum” or to propose caricature contests of the Prophet Mohammed, Mr. Wilders has built his career on a crusade against what he calls an “Islamic invasion” of the West.
Neither the troubles with the Dutch justice system – which found him guilty of insulting Moroccans – nor the death threats against him – which have kept him under police protection since 2004 – have discouraged him. “I do not regret having fought for freedom,” Mr. Wilders told AFP in an interview on the eve of the 2021 elections. “Of course, I take a stand, I am attacked, my country is under attack.
Mr. Wilders tried to smooth out some of his populist rhetoric and focus on other voter concerns. Result: it ended up exceeding expectations. There are “more important problems than fighting the flood of asylum seekers and immigrants”, he said during one of the last election debates, adding that he was ready to put side his opinions on Islam to govern.
If immigration remained a key subject of the campaign, the Dutch are even more worried about “knowing whether they still have more money left in their wallets”, he insisted. He promised to focus more on “security and health care” than his opposition to Islam. He assured journalists in The Hague after voting that he would be Prime Minister for “everyone in the Netherlands, regardless of their origin, gender or otherwise”.
« Nexit »
But the PVV manifesto retained a xenophobic tone, its trademark. “Asylum seekers feast on delicious free buffets on cruise ships while Dutch families must cut back on purchases,” the manifesto reads. Proposed anti-immigration measures include reinstating Dutch border control, detaining and deporting illegal immigrants, sending back Syrian asylum seekers and re-introducing work permits for intra-EU workers.
On the subject of Islam, the PVV manifesto says: “The Netherlands is not an Islamic country. No schools, Korans and Islamic mosques.” He proposes banning the wearing of headscarves in government buildings.
When it comes to foreign policy, he advocates a “Netherlands first” approach that includes closing its representation in Ramallah and strengthening ties with Israel, including moving its embassy to Jerusalem. A “binding referendum” on “Nexit” – the Netherlands’ exit from the EU – is also in the programme, as well as an “immediate end” to development aid.
Geert Wilders was also congratulated by Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “The winds of change are here,” he wrote on X. Marine Le Pen also welcomed this “spectacular performance in the legislative elections which confirms the growing attachment to the defense of national identities”. “It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished that the hope for change remains alive in Europe,” wrote the boss of the RN on X.
Congratulation to @geertwilderspvv and to the PVV for their spectacular performance in the legislative elections which confirms the growing attachment to the defense of national identities. It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished that the hope of…
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) November 22, 2023
Mr. Wilders was participating in his sixth election, after having failed to cause an upset on several occasions. “When I left my old party (the VVD) (…) I said that one day we will become the largest party,” he told journalists while voting.
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