Geert Wilders: Far-right populist wins big in Dutch election

Geert Wilders receives congratulations on his election victory

With 98% of the votes counted on Thursday, Geert Wilders’ far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) won 37 of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament.

The populist party was well ahead of a joint Labor-Green bloc with 25 seats and the conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte with 24 seats.

Wilders’ victory is expected to have far-reaching consequences in the Netherlands and Europe.

How long will a new Dutch government take to form?

Once all the votes from Wednesday’s election have been counted, party leaders will have to negotiate the makeup of the next governing coalition. With multiple parties, and with the PVV in the lead, the horse-trading could take several months.

It is not clear Wilders will be able to garner the necessary support for a broad enough coalition to form a workable government. All the leaders of the three other top parties have said they would not serve in a PVV-led coalition.

After the 2021 election, it took more than 271 days or nine months for them to put together a four-party arrangement. Although it is the tradition, there is no guarantee that the party that wins the most seats will end up delivering the prime minister. Rutte will remain in a caretaker role until a new government is installed, likely in the first half of 2024.

Once the coalition makeup is agreed upon, the parties sign a coalition agreement and the new government is tasked with setting out its plans in parliament, followed by a vote of confidence.

Far-right politicians in Europe congratulate Wilders

Wilders’ party’s stunning election performance drew praise from nationalist and far-right European politicians. “The winds of change are here! Congratulations to Geert Wilders on winning the Dutch elections!” said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who leads the Rassemblement National party, posted on X: “Congratulations to Geert Wilders and the PVV for their spectacular performance in the legislative elections which confirms the growing attachment to the defense of national identities.”

Italian far-right leader and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini also congratulated Wilders. “Congratulations to our friend Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV and historic ally of the League, for this extraordinary electoral victory. A new Europe is possible.”

Who is Geert Wilders?

Often referred to as the Dutch Trump, Geert Wilders’ anti-Islam, anti-immigrant and anti-EU message seems to have finally swept him to first place at the polls.

From calling Moroccans “scum” to holding competitions for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, Wilders has built a career from his self-appointed mission to stop an “Islamic invasion” of the West.

He has remained defiant despite brushes with the law — he was convicted for insulting Moroccans — and death threats that have meant he has been under police protection since 2004.

Born in 1963 in southern Venlo, close to the German border, Wilders grew up in a Catholic family with his brother and two sisters. His mother was half-Indonesian, a fact Wilders rarely mentions.

Wilders entered politics in 1998 in the Liberal VVD party, before beginning a one-man faction in parliament and then forming the far-right PVV in 2006.

dh/rt (AFP, Reuters)