Far-right leader Geert Wilders is projected to be the winner of the Dutch elections and could bring his anti-Isralam and Euroskeptic radical perspective into the forefront of his agendas.
The dramatic result of the parliamentary election shows that Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) is set to win around 35 of the 150 seats. This is more than double the number that the party previously secured in the 2021 election.
Dutch Election Results
The Labour-Green alliance of Frans Timmermans is forecast to take second place in the election by winning 25 seats in parliament, which is also seen as a big jump from its previous 17. The head of the center-right VVD, Dilan Yesilgoz, suffered heavy losses and is on course to take 24 seats, which is 10 fewer than before.
A victory for Wilders in the Dutch election will put the Netherlands on track for a dramatic shift in politics. The situation comes after outgoing premier Mark Rutte's four consecutive centrist governments. The question now is whether or not any parties will be willing to join the far-right leader to form a coalition, as per Politico.
Despite Wilders coming out of the Dutch election as the largest party, he is expected to struggle to find an overall majority in parliament. He later greeted his supporters in a cafe on the Dutch coast with a big smile. He said, "The voters have spoken tonight and they have said that they are fed up."
He said that his party is planning to work toward curbing what is known as the "asylum tsunami," putting more money in people's wallets, and having better security. Wilders also extended a hand to other parties, saying that it was time to work together to come up with solutions to the country's problems.
The projected winner also suggested that he would be willing to compromise on his anti-Muslim ideals in order to enter government. He noted that he understands that parties do not wish to be in a government with a party that wants unconstitutional measures.
The three main parties all campaigned on the need to limit immigration and argued that they could be willing to seek exemptions from European Union agreements on accepting asylum-seekers and on environmental policies, according to Reuters.
Hard-Right Government Coalition
Negotiations are expected to be difficult as both Yesilgoz and NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt have said that Wilders' extreme stances would make it impossible to form a government with him. The latter has previously mentioned that he wanted to quit the European Union and close Dutch borders.
The VVD leader has other options if negotiations to form a hard-right coalition with Wilders fail. She could instead seek to form a center-right government with NSC and the Labour/Green Left combination.
The vote on Wednesday was the climate of a campaign that focused on various issues, including climate change. A poll was published on the eve of the elections and showed that the PVV essentially tied with the VVD for the leader and was followed closely by the Labour-Green Left ticket, said Aljazeera.
