Anti-EU, Anti-Islam populist Wilders seeks to form Dutch govt after shock election win
The Hindu
Geert Wilders' anti-EU Freedom Party won 37 seats in Dutch elections, setting off a right-wing populist revolt. Wilders vows to halt immigration, cut EU payments, and block new members. Coalition talks with VVD and NSC parties could take months. Muslims fear being portrayed as second-class citizens.
Dutch anti-EU far-right populist Geert Wilders will start looking for coalition partners on November 23 after a massive election win that is set to have wide repercussions in the Netherlands and Europe.
A fan of fellow eurosceptic, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the vocally anti-EU Mr. Wilders has vowed to halt all immigration, slash Dutch payments to the union and block the entrance of any new members, including Ukraine.
With 98% of the votes counted, his Freedom Party (PVV) won 37 seats out of 150, well ahead of 25 for a joint Labour/Green ticket and 24 for the conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
"The Rutte era ends with a right-wing populist revolt that shakes (The Hague) to its foundations. The historic election victory that the PVV achieved on November 22 exceeded all expectations," Dutch centre-right daily NRC said.
A coalition of the Freedom Party, VVD, and the NSC party of centrist lawmaker Pieter Omtzigt would have 81 seats combined, making it the most obvious combination but which could still take months of difficult talks.
None of the parties he could form a government with share his anti-EU ideas.