For almost 20 years, right-wing extremist Wilders and his Islamophobic party have been shaking up the Netherlands. Now he is the big election winner. But he cannot rule alone. This is how newspapers abroad comment on the election.
The Netherlands is facing a historic shift to the right following the triumphant victory of right-wing populist Geert Wilders in the parliamentary election. The right-wing extremist now wants to govern with his Islamophobic party and become the successor to outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is stepping down from the national political stage after a record term in office. But it remains to be seen whether Wilders’ party can really forge an alliance with other partners. Because coalition negotiations are likely to be difficult.
“The signal that the Dutch voters are now giving is: Things have to be different,” said Wilders late on Wednesday evening. “The Dutch have to be number one again.” In his party program, the 60-year-old calls for mosques and the Koran to be banned and is in favor of Nexit – the Netherlands’ exit from the EU. He also wants to close the borders, no longer allow refugees and migrant workers into the country and abolish climate protection as a political goal.
Election in the Netherlands: Wilders’ PVV wins 36 seats
According to a projection published by the ANP news agency early on Thursday morning, Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV) is likely to have 36 of the 150 seats in the second chamber of parliament, which is comparable to the German Bundestag. That would be more than twice as many seats as in the previous election in 2021.
This is how newspapers in the Netherlands and Europe commented on the outcome of the election:
“de Volkskrant”, Netherlands: “In the past four decades, the largest party has always provided the prime minister. This self-evident fact is now being questioned. Dilan Yesilgöz, the chairwoman of the (right-wing liberal previous ruling party) VVD, said on Monday that under her leadership her party would never have one Cabinet with Geert Wilders as Prime Minister. The PVV chairman is not capable of bringing people together and is not suitable to represent the Netherlands on the world stage. However, the VVD will come under immense pressure to work with Wilders. It is planning to join forces with Wilders not excluded from the elections, so why after? (…)
Wilders’ monster victory has put the entire Hague system under great pressure. The PVV chairman himself will now also feel the burden of his own success. He never cared about building a consolidated party or a network of potential ministers. All these years he has been able to boast of simple solutions, such as closing borders, no asylum and leaving the EU. Now he can show voters how to do it.”
“Trouw”, Netherlands: “It is the scenario that no one expected, not even the winner himself. Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) have become the big winners of the parliamentary elections. For the first time since their existence, the right-wing populist party is the strongest of the country, and Wilders has a chance of becoming prime minister. (…)
Voters have erased and redrawn political lines in the Netherlands. At the same time as the PVV’s gains, they have also strengthened their left-wing opponents. The result shows a deeply divided country, in which the parties that previously formed the government were severely punished. (…)
With the PVV’s victory, right-wing voters are sending a message that is definitely about a strict asylum policy. Wilders wants a general ban on asylum, literally according to the election program because of a specific goal: “less Islam” in the Netherlands.”
“De Telegraaf”, Netherlands: “The Netherlands is experiencing a major crisis. The asylum policy is bankrupt, the housing market has come to a standstill and more and more people are no longer able to make ends meet because of high energy costs, among other things. At the same time, the economy is under pressure, health costs are rising and things are standing still Decisions on climate goals. (…)
The new leader of the (right-wing liberal ruling party) VVD had broken with her predecessor by opening the door to governing with the (right-wing populist) PVV, which was an advantage for its leader Geert Wilders. Parties argued whether the PVV should be excluded or not.
The voters have now spoken: all parties in the government coalition were punished and the (right-wing populist) Party for Freedom (PVV) became the strongest force. Now it is time to form a new government. The usual Hague theater will not help. Telegraaf polls have shown that the Dutch are fed up with this. There is no other option than for parties to correct statements about possible coalition partners. Only then will it be possible to form a cabinet in the foreseeable future. And that is urgently needed in view of the crises mentioned.”
“Corriere della Sera”, Italy: “Wilders now leads the party that is in first place. But everyone else has ruled out governing with him. Even the Liberals, who would have accepted him as an ally in a government led by them, do not want to support him as prime minister .But without him it’s not enough.
(The leading candidate of the red-green alliance, Frans) Timmermans has ruled out any alliance. Achieving a 76-seat majority would be easier for a coalition in which the other two largest parties, the Liberals and NSC, support him. However, their support is not guaranteed. The previous government took nine months to form. This time we have to move faster: to be ready for the European elections by June.”
“The Guardian”, Great Britain: “He portrayed Islam as the ‘ideology of a backward culture’ and insulted Moroccans as ‘scum’. Geert Wilders, who often clashes with former US President Donald Trump because of his inflammatory rhetoric and the way he uses social media has long been a fixture in the European far-right landscape. (…)
In the run-up to the election, Wilders had sought to tone down some of his particularly controversial anti-Islam statements and suggested he might drop his call for a ban on mosques and the Koran – a move his critics branded opportunistic.
Instead, he has focused on growing economic concerns, promising to address the housing crisis and fight inflation, while portraying climate action as a new form of tyranny on the part of those in power in The Hague.
What is clear, however, is that some of the more extreme measures he has proposed – including reintroducing Dutch border controls, detaining and deporting illegal immigrants and reintroducing work permits for workers within the EU – would fundamentally change the DNA of the Netherlands.”
“De Standaard”, Belgium: “Of course, migration played an important role. Prime Minister Mark Rutte had caused the government coalition to collapse in the dispute over this. Rutte and his VVD party advocated for much tougher policies. But it was Geert Wilders who had been insisting on this for years. For them , who believe that there are too many migrants in the Netherlands, he has therefore remained the most credible politician.
The enormous success of his Party for Freedom (PVV) makes it impossible to ignore it when forming a government. Wilders gets the initiative. But who wants to enter into a coalition with him? Before the result was known, most parties thought little of a cabinet with Wilders, let alone with him as prime minister. But with this result there is hardly any way around Prime Minister Wilders. He himself leaves no doubt that he wants to govern and that he would be prepared to make concessions to achieve this.”