Has history been made in the general elections in the Netherlands? While the votes are now being counted, there is already a first prediction, which means that the party of right-wing populist Geert Wilders is in first place for the first time.
According to a report on Dutch television, Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV) won 35 of the 150 seats in parliament. If the prediction is confirmed, it would be the first time that a right-wing populist party wins the Dutch parliamentary elections.
Wilders’ PVV (60) has continued to rise in the polls in recent weeks. The top candidate of the right-wing liberals, Dilan Yesilgöz, said at the start of the election campaign that she would not rule out Wilders as a coalition partner from the outset. The outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, also a right-wing liberal, had always refused to cooperate with Wilders.
Wilders recently used more moderate tones
Wilders wants, among other things, to close all mosques and ban the Koran. However, during the election campaign he took a more moderate tone and said that the fight against Islam is not a priority at the moment. Instead, he wants to close the borders to asylum seekers.
According to the forecast, Yesilgöz and Rutte’s party, the right-liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), will have 23 seats, a loss of eleven mandates. The alliance of Greens and Social Democrats, led by former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans, provides 26 seats, an increase of nine.
Rutte now wants to become Secretary General of NATO
The early parliamentary elections became necessary after Rutte’s centre-right coalition collapsed in the summer after just eighteen months in office. The reason for this was a dispute over migration policy. Rutte, the longest-serving prime minister in Dutch history, then announced his departure from national politics and now wants to become NATO secretary general.
Source: Krone
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