Netherlands election: Who could Wilders govern with?

For the winner of the Dutch parliamentary elections, Wilders, the question arises as to which other parties he can use to implement his populist ideas such as an “asylum stop” and a possible exit from the EU.

Recently, Geert Wilders has been almost omnipresent in the Dutch media. He successfully relied on a last-minute election campaign with a special presence shortly before the polls. In a country where two dozen parties are vying for votes, with candidates that hardly anyone knows, he was able to score points with his popularity.

Unlike before, he made sure to appear predictable – also with regard to other parties that he would need to help govern. He cleverly linked three topics: migration, crime and the widespread housing shortage.

“The Netherlands must belong to the Dutch.”

Migrants would take living space away from the Dutch – this is one of the theses that was heard in the election campaign and had an impact on the ballot. For months the Dutch newspapers have been full of reports about housing shortages. People would have to wait up to ten years for social housing. The opposition said that the previous head of government, Mark Rutte, had failed to build housing.

But only Wilders got through to the issue because he linked the issues of migration and housing shortages and called for an “asylum stop”: “The Netherlands must belong to the Dutch.” Wilders wants to turn away everyone who does not have any documents or a residence permit. The time of traveling without controls would also be over at the border with Germany. Wilders wants to destroy the previously control-free Schengen area.

The Liberal conservatives still hesitate

Wilders would like to implement his program with the current governing party, from which the outgoing Prime Minister Rutte comes. The new front woman of the Liberal Conservatives, Dilan Yesilgöz, is still hesitant. Party friends are urging them to get closer.

Yesilgöz himself fears the destructive potential of Wilder’s radical demands for possible civil coalition partners. She said: “Wilders is destroying the country. Nothing will collapse here because of migration. He never offered solutions. He didn’t say how he wanted to govern. In the end, we didn’t deal with the migration problem. But neither did he.”

Politics for “all Dutch people”?

Wilders did not repeat previous demands during the election campaign, such as a ban on the Koran and the closure of mosques. Late on the evening of the election, he called for alliances and mutual “openness.” He would make a policy “for all Dutch people, no matter where they come from,” without specifying who exactly he meant.

His EU-critical positions, which go as far as calling for a referendum on whether the Netherlands should leave the EU, scare off potential partners. In addition, there is the past of the right-wing populist, who was accused of hate speech and convicted of insults.

Years ago, Wilders described criminal Moroccans as “scum.” Moroccan gangs would dominate the cocaine trade and commit brutal murders. A liberal drug policy further encouraged these tendencies. “At least I wouldn’t bring more people from these countries into the country, I would make sure they all leave again,” said Wilders.

Wilders needs partners to govern

With these demands, Wilders wants to become prime minister. If necessary in a minority government, that’s what people around him said today. He definitely needs partners to govern. And he doesn’t have it yet. The previous government party VVD and the new party of the former Christian Democrat Pieter Omtzigt (New Social Contract) would be enough.

However, a fourth party would have to be added in order to have a stable majority in the 150-member parliament. In the Netherlands’ fragmented party system, Wilders could end up as a loser again.