CELEBRATED: Geert Wilders was very satisfied with the election day polls in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening. Photo: REMKO DE WAAL / AFP / NTB
The controversial political veteran Geert Wilders (60) and his Islam-critical party appear to have taken a clear lead in the elections in the Netherlands.
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Less than 20 minutes ago
This is shown by several election day polls after the polling stations closed on Thursday evening.
Wilder’s party PVV – the Freedom Party – looks set to get 36 of the 150 mandates in the National Assembly, writes the Dutch newspaper Telegraaf.
Closer to power has the controversial political veteran, who has been a member of parliament for over 20 years, never been, writes Guardian.
The election result will in all likelihood send shock waves through the Netherlands, writes the BBC.
– The Dutch have spoken and said that they have had enough. We will stem the tide of the asylum tsunami, said the party leader himself right after the election day poll became known.
– VVP can no longer be ignored. We must rule.
Very controversial
Wilders is a very controversial figure in the Netherlands. For several years, he has shocked Europe with harsh statements about Muslims and a persistent fight to stop immigration to Europe.
Since 2004, he has lived under police protection. In 2016, he was convicted of discrimination after calling Moroccans “scum” during a voter rally.
In addition to being highly critical of immigration, the Freedom Party is also against the EU. Wilders has said that he wants to hold a referendum on whether the Netherlands should leave the EU, which the media has referred to as “Nexit”, writes the BBC.
The brother freaked out Geert Wilders: – He is not good for Europe
Uncertainty about cooperation opportunities
Wilder’s party VVP has never been in government since it was founded in 2006, and much of the reason is that other parties have not wanted to cooperate with them.
During this year’s election campaign, however, the party made a significant dent in the polls after the right-liberal VVD, led by Dilan Yesilgöz, said it did not rule out cooperation with them.
According to Guardian it is still unclear until Thursday night whether the Islam-critical party of Wilders will secure enough support to obtain a majority in parliament.
A total of 26 parties stood for election to the country’s national assembly. But no one is strong enough to alone win the majority of 76 seats, so long and demanding negotiations are expected before a new government is ready.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been in office for 13 years and is the longest-serving head of government in the Netherlands. But this summer the government resigned after strong internal disagreements about the asylum policy. Rutte has since then led a so-called Ministry of BusinessMinistry of BusinessA government that functions temporarily and has limited authority. Often it is a sitting government that has applied for resignation that constitutes a business ministry until a new government is in place. .
– I ask all the parties: The election is over, and the voters have spoken. Now we have to try to reach agreements with each other, Wilders said himself about the matter on Thursday night.
In 2017, VG visited Wilder’s hometown Venlo. Read the report here.
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Published: 23.11.23 at 02:47
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2023-11-23 01:47:44
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