Dutch politician Geert Wilders expressed enthusiasm and pride after leading his far-right PVV party to victory in the 2023 General Election. The first exit poll showed that his party will win 35 of the 150 seats in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch Parliament. The exit poll has a margin of 1-2 seats. The question will be if the controversial politician can cobble together a coalition to form a Cabinet, but he seemed to have the support of right-wing parties NSC and BBB.
“35 seats! The biggest party in the Netherlands!” he shouted to his supporters in Scheveningen at the PVV’s election party on Wednesday night. He asked for other parties to join the PVV in forging a new path forward, not burdened by “their own shadows.” He said his party can no longer be ignored, because it would be “very undemocratic,” and “voters would not accept it.”
He told the gathered crowd, “We are going to govern,” and said he was ready to be the leader for all Dutch people, and to find solutions “within the legal and constitutional framework.” However, Wilders may face an uphill battle when he tries to form a coalition government. The PVV will need the support of at least two, and likely several more parties in order to hold majority support in either house of Parliament.
The PVV wants stricter limits on immigration in the Netherlands, and he wants people to keep more of their money in their pocketbook, while returning “healthcare and security back to a state of order.”
Can Wilders gain support from other parties to form a coalition?
Wilders could potentially form a coalition if he can convince the right-wing parties VVD, NSC and BBB to join him. The three parties are projected to win 24, 20 and 7 seats, respectively. That would give them 86 seats in total, a dominant majority.
“I have 100 percent confidence that we will get into the Cabinet,” said BBB leader Caroline van der Plas, noting that 2.5 million people cast a ballot for the PVV. “You cannot ignore that. We will go into these negotiations very seriously. Wilders has promised several things. We will see whether he sticks to them.”
Wilders was excluded from coalition talks by multiple parties for several consecutive elections. This year, the PVV leader announced that he wanted to govern in the next Cabinet instead of being an opposition leader, and he was willing to step back on his anti-Islam position to do so. His party quickly climbed in the polls after this statement, but the other poll leaders were skeptical about his suddenly milder tone.
He reiterated that stance on Wednesday, saying he would be a prime minister for all Dutch people. “Regardless of where you come from, and what your faith is.”
NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt softened his stance on the prospect of working with Wilders on Wednesday. Omtzigt also spoke about moving forward on Wednesday, saying the NSC was willing to be closely involved in the Cabinet formation process. “We are available to translate this trust into action from tomorrow. We are going to take responsibility. We have plans and we can implement them. But it will not be easy,” Omtzigt said.
Earlier this month, Omtzigt said it would not be possible to form a government with Wilders. He noted that the PVV does not demonstrate its respect for freedom of religion in its election program. “That is the obstacle to cooperation in the government,” Omtzigt said. “As a party you can only form a government with parties that adhere to classical fundamental rights.”
VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz didn’t believe the change in tune, though her party initially seemed to leave the door open to work with the PVV. This week, she toughened her stance as Wilders surged in the polls, and said the VVD would not take part in a Cabinet if Wilders was to be the next prime minister. She said he “would not be prime minister for all people.”
Yeşilgöz did not make it clear if her position has changed following the initial election results. She only said the party would consider its options. Her predecessor, Prime Minister Mark Rutte, previously said his biggest political mistake was forming his first coalition, a minority Cabinet, with the support of Wilders’ PVV. The Cabinet fell shortly after its formation.
“It is the same Wilders who has been sowing division for 19 years,” said Frans Timmermans, the leader of left-wing GroenLinks-PvdA during the recent campaign. He continued his tough position, saying his party would not participate in a coalition with the PVV.
Exit poll puts far-right PVV as the largest party in Dutch parliament with defiant win
Figures in the article and the table of political parties below were updated at 10 p.m.
The first exit poll in the 2023 Dutch General Election showed political party PVV will become the largest party in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Parliament. The preliminary exit poll showed the far-right party from MP Geert Wilders leading with 35 of the 150 seats in the Tweede Kamer, more than double their current total of 18. The exit poll from Ipsos for NOS and RTL has a margin of error of 1-2 seats.
Dutch voters put the left-wing alliance of GroenLinks-PvdA in second place with 25 seats, an increase of eight compared to the two parties’ current total. The right-wing party of Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the VVD, will likely see its total number of MPs fall from 34 to 24. The three parties were projected to be neck-and-neck in most polling conducted in the past week.
NSC, the new party from MP Pieter Omtzigt, had been leading in the polls until recently. That party will swell to 20 seats in the Tweede Kamer. The only other party showing gains in this year’s election was BBB, which grew from one seat to seven, though showed a disappointing sixth place finish after taking the most seats in the Eerste Kamer, the upper house of Parliament, following the provincial elections in March.
The parties in a coalition to form Rutte’s Fourth Cabinet all suffered significant losses, according to the initial exit poll. D66 had been the second-largest party with 24 seats, but is now expected to lose 14 of their seats in the Tweede Kamer. The CDA, which had been Omtzigt’s party prior to a conflict in 2021, was expected to lose ten of its 15 seats. ChristenUnie was also projected to fall from five to three seats.
Most other parties in the lower house lost seats as well. The socialist party, SP, will likely see their tally fall from nine to five seats, and animal rights party PvdD should see their seat total cut in half to three seats. Pro-European party Volt was also projected to lose one of its three seats. Bij1 will likely lose its only seat in Parliament. Denk, was initially projected as losing one of its three seats, but revised figures showed them holding firm.
Far-right nationalist party FvD, led by Thierry Baudet, was projected to lose five of its eight seats, and far-right Ja21 was also likely to lose one of its three seats. The right-wing Christian party SGP will likely remain in the Tweede Kamer with three seats.
Enough voters also turned out to give the party 50Plus one seat in the Tweede Kamer. Technically, that will mark the party’s return to the lower house, as their only parliamentarian, Liane den Haan, left the party shortly after the election.
Municipalities are still counting the votes, and the final results can still change further. The Ipsos exit poll will also be refined further. Ballot boxes in the Netherlands officially closed their doors at 9 p.m., though voting will continue on the Dutch Caribbean Islands for an additional five hours, and ballots sent in the mail from people living abroad will still be counted for several days.
PVV finished strong after softening anti-Islam stance
Far-right opposition party PVV surged in the polling after party leader Geert Wilders softened his position as being fully against Islam. Before the election, Dutch voters said purchasing power, migration, and healthcare were most important to them. The housing shortage and the transition to sustainable energy came in fourth and fifth place.
Political scientists said they believed GroenLinks-PvdA missed the mark a bit by not focusing their campaign more on the climate – a topic that scores well among young voters and GroenLinks voters. The party leader, Frans Timmermans, led the merger of the two largest left-wing parties on a campaign appealing to the public as a blockade against a fully right-wing government that might need the support of far-right nationalists to build up a majority.
The party received a great deal of attention in debates for its plans to increase taxes on the wealthy and Dutch businesses to help cover the bill for the crises the Netherlands is facing, like climate change and the housing shortage.
The campaign for this year’s election got underway with independent MP Pieter Omtzigt launching his Nieuw Sociaal Contract party. The party platform put the most emphasis on limiting migration. It also proposed recalibrating the minimum wage and scrapping the nitrogen law to replace it with “a realistic alternative.” Omtzigt himself was often criticized for being vague or unclear about policy. Omtzigt also largely avoided saying who would be NSC’s pick for prime minister.
NSC initially led the polls, but then started trending downward in the weeks leading up to the election. The polling put the vote as a neck-and-neck race between four parties, including Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s VVD, now led by Justice Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz.
Total number of party members expected to sit in the Tweede Kamer after the 2023 General Election
The political views of Mr G. Wilders, the newly elected Dutch MP, who came into power with 9 seats after the Dutch parliamentary elections dd 2006, are not only being characterized by populism, racism and Islamophobia, also they contain elements, which hold a plea for the foundation of a police-state.
The political views of Mr Wilders [Dutch MP and chairman of the ”Party for the Freedom”] A tsunami of racism
Introduction:
Germany, 1933
”Therefore, urgent changes are necessary! Germany has to become a strong and vital country again! A country with a lasting and strong economy! A country, which declares war to Jewish villains! A country, which gives a strong solution on the problems of civilians! Long live a better and stronger Germany!”
After the speech, the hysterical crowd shouted loudly ”Heil Hitler!”
A speech, walked away from history, with a heinous dimension, especially seen against the light of the horrible events in nazi-Germany, with as absolute abyss, Auschwitz.
Whoever is assuming, that, seeing against the light of the racist, populistic and hatespeech-character, this speech has been held by Adolf Hitler or one of his nazi-partners, is mistaken
I was referring to a somewhat shortened passage from the election-pamphlet of Mr Wilders, dated dd august 25th of 2006, by which, of course, ”Germany” should be replaced by ”The Netherlands” and ”Jewish villains” [a term, loved by the nazi-ideologists] by ”islamic” terrorism [see for the passage of the election-pamphlet, under ”Sources]
Those, who are assuming, that I refer to the political views of mr Wilders, being nazi-like, are mistaken also, because happily, that’s not [yet] the case
However, there are similarities between the political views of Wilders and the nazi-ideology, namely the populism, the scapegoat-model, the hatespeech against certain groups of the population, and the vaguely formulated call for a ”strong” nation and economy
The similarities are strikingly strong, regarding the by Wilders proposed political measures in the direction of a police-State, which will be showed in underlying.
A Political career:
Mr Wilders started his political career at the right wing liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy [in Dutch: VVD], from which he became a member in 1989 From 1997 until 1998 he was a member of the municipal Council in Utrecht, the fourth largest city of the Netherlands. In 1998 he was elected to the national Parliament, where he represented the VVD untill 2004 He belonged to the conservative rightwing-part of the party and was known by pro-Palestinian political and human rights activists as a strong supporter of the Israeli political-military policy
I refer to this later
The foundation of the Party for Freedom [in Dutch: PVV]
He left the VVD in 2004 after a conflict about the alleged future Turkish EU membership, that was excluded by Wilders, not because of the Turkish human rights violations, but because of his objection as Turkey, being a non-European [read ”islamic”] country After his MP position being a one-man political fraction, named ”Wilders Group”, he and his adherents founded the Party for Freedom [PVV], which won the elections in 2006 and entered the Parliament with 9 seats Wilders is the chair of the PVV in parliament
B Political views
The political views of Mr Wilders can be qualified as racist, populist and hatespeechlike Also elements of his political views include a plea for the foundation of a police-state, by which he is violating the elementary rules of democracy
With his views, he should have been given the anti-human rights price, violating the fundamental principles of humanity and civilisation
1 Racist points of view:
In the authoritative Dutch dictionnary ”Dikke van Dale”, racism is being defined as:
”the utterance of contempt, hostility or hatred of the one race against the other, stemming from a feeling of superiority”
In article 2, International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, racism is being defined as
”any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life”
Striking is the fact, that the views of Mr Wilders are conforming to both definitions about racism
In a number of mediainterviews he has referred to the fact that the values of ”other” [read: ”non-western] cultures are not as high standarded like ”ours” [read: the western and in particular Dutch culture]
In this respect I refer to a statement of Mr Wilders, which he has regularly uttered in interviews:
”We must not pretend, whether the values of our culture are as good as the other cultures”
From this statement, the conclusion can be drawn, that he states, that ”our” [read the very heterogenous ”white” autochton Dutch culture] culture is superior to other [non western] cultures
According to the definition in the Van Dale about racism, such views are racist
Also Mr Wilders makes a clear and negative distinction between people of different descent and belief, which is racist according to the International Convention against Racism [see above] I’ll illustrate this with the following examples:
I ”Streetterrorists”
This racism has been based upon the continuous and oversimplified views about the Islam as a religion, the muslims in general and the Morrocon population in particular. Regularly Morrocan streetyouth, who have in some cases come in conflict with the judicial authorities, are been qualified by Mr Wilders and his political gang as ”streetterrorists”
Not only such remarks are seldom based on a serious investigation into the causes of social misbehaviour, also the qualification ”terrorism” is tendentious and unjust, applying only to committers of terroristic assaults on civilians or civilian goals, who have been convicted in a fair and independent trial
The message seems clear:
With such remarks Morrocan youths are being criminalized and stigmatized The proof of the racist character lies in the fact, that autochtone white Dutch streetyouth, who have come in conflict with the judicial authorities, are not being qualified as ”streetterrorists”
II Western and non-western allochtones [people, who are from non-Dutch descent]
Another example of the racist views of Mr Wilders is his systematic distinction between ”western” and ”non-western” allochtones, with a continuously negative qualification of the latter group [the socalled ”non-western” allochtones]
III ”Inundation”
In his language he makes use of neo-nazilike archetypes like an ”inundation” by ”foreigners” or people of ”non-western” descent Also he is using the word ”tsunami”
So he described, dd 20-2 this year, the appointment in the newly formed Dutch government [coalition between the christian-democrats, the Labour Party and the smaller somewhat fundamental Christian Union], of two labour-politicians, one of Morrocon, the other of Turkish descent, namely Mr Aboutaleb and Mrs Albayrak as undersecretaries of State [Aboutaleb at Social Services ad Albayrak at immigrationpolicy], as a ”tsunami of Islamizing”
An example from his election-pamphlet, which is confirming his racist views:
”The demografical developments must be viewed with very much concern: the majority of the youth in the big cities is already of non-western descent”
This political view he is sharing with the ultra right wing Israeli politicians [who Wilders is admiring, which shall be no suprise for the reader], who worry about the ”demografical problem” in Israel [the ”threatening” majority of the ”Israeli” Arab people in Israel, by which the legitimacy of the zionistic Jewish State is highly challenged]
It is obvious here:
Only people with racist views, who think they are superior to others, feel threatened by the presence of other cultures, since they don’t think in a humanitarian way, but in lines of descent and cultural differences and have no eye at all for the positive enrichment by other cultures
Shortly after the notorious statement of Mr Wilders about the ”tsunami” of Islamizing, he started a political hate-campaign against the referred secretaries of State, on which I”ll refer later
2 Hatespeech
It is obvious, that those political views, his provoking and uncivilisized behaviour in parliament and his other provoking remarks (notorious is his remark, that muslims should tear to pieces the half of the Koran) are contributing to a further tension between autochton (read ”white”) and allochtone (read originally of ”foreign” descent), people in the Netherlands, which had been intensified since september 11th 2001
Yet apart from his vicious views, it also is a testimony of moral cowardice, to stigmatize and criminalize a population minority (in casu the muslims in general and the Morrocon in particular), who has been victim after september 11th 2001, as well after the murder of the cineast Mr T van Gogh (dd 2-11-2004), of fysical and verbal assaults, as also fireraisings in mosques and islamic schools.
According to article 137, c and d (Dutch criminal Law) as well as racism against a population-minority, as hatespeech-like views, are punishable. It would therefore recommendable, when Mr Wilders and his co MP”s would be reported to the police
3 Towards a police-state
Authoritarian and inhumane views
As I’ve stated already, the views of Mr Wilders contain elements, which are contrary with democratical principles
I Introduction of administratice detention regarding real or alleged terrorsuspects
A striking example is his great admiration for administrative detention, a notorious Israeli punishment-measure against especially Palestinian prisoners, but also sometimes applied to Israeli settlers, who are religious fanatics
As you’ll know, administration detention means detention without any form or trial This detention-method, which is, except for Israel, also applied in other human rights-violating countries like China and the former Eastern-European countries, is not only inhuman, but illegal according international judicial standards
Another notorious example of administration detention is Guantanamo Bay
However, despite of the inhuman and internationally illegal character, Mr Wilders, who especially is referring to the Israeli form, in his election pamphlet, Mr Wilders is helding a plea for its introduction in the Netherlands, in respect with real or alleged terror-suspects.
II Introduction of ”labourcamps” for problemyouth
Another remarkable measure, which is vehemently pleaded by Mr Wilders, is the introduction of ”labourcamps” for ”problemyouths”
Without accusing Mr Wilders of the introduction of concentration-camps, the terminology ”labourcamps” reminds me of the labourcamps in the former Eastern European countries, the formet Sovjet Union (Siberia was notorious) and China, in which human rights were being violated very seriously
Also the nazi’s used this detention form, which lead to the death of innumerable prisoners
Yet apart from the exact idea of Mr Wilders, regarding ”labour-camps” the mere proposal is incompatible with the principles of the Dutch democracy Moreover, very strict youth detention facilities are already existing in the Netherlands, so this Wilders-proposal is also completely meaningless
The fact that he doesn’t give a clear explanation of his ”labour-camp” idea, but his strong admiration for administrative detention, makes me fear the worst
Seeing in the light of his great sympathy regarding ”labour-camps” and administrative detention, I think the conclusion is justified, that a number of fundamental PVV (the party of Mr Wilders) views are incompatible with the democratical principles and show similarities with a dictatorial police-state
4 Populist points of view
One of the main characteristics of real or alleged charismatic leaders of racist and semi-racist organisations is the populist and demagogical element
Populism can be characterized as a political-ideological view, which is not based upon facts, but on underlying society-feelings of discontent and resentment, in casu racism
Because real arguments are usually lacking, populism is repeating commonly accepted views, the feeding of the feelings of resentment, the uttering of meaningless slogans and vague statements.
So it is not surprising that a populist politician like Mr Wilders is referring to slogans like a ”strong Netherlands”, ”a Netherlands to be proud of” and a ”true identity” of the Netherlands, without a further explanation
Also he is champion in scoring easily with the promotion of either already taken measures, or the famous ”commonly accepted views”
I Examples:
In his electionpamphlet he holds a plea for [among else] the following points:
Deportation of illegal people, who have committed a crime [an already existing judicial measure] The ending of the waiting-lists in Child Welfare [a commonly accepted view]
The spending of more money to medical centres for mentally disturbed elderly people :
He is stating ”less bureaucracy and overhead and [literary said] ”more hands to the sick-beds” Also this is a view which will be held by nearly anyone [easy scores]
This one you”ll love:
”Clean” one person-rooms for mentally disturbed elderly people in medical care centres. ”Elderly people are no prisoners” [his literal words]
As you have seen, Mr Wilders deserves a price for scoring on ”easy” points
Except for his anti-islamic and anti-refugee views [Mr Wilders is a strong adherent of an immigration-stop], he wants to gain also some popularity under that part of the Dutch autochton election-potential, which is not outspoken racist, but have lesser or smaller prejudices against people of allochton descent
As all populists, he wants to appeal to chauvinistic feelings, with a reference to the socalled ”Dutch glory of the past” [read poverty and repression in the Netherlands and colonialism and slavery abroad]
In the final sense of his ”Declaration of Independence” [a little megalomania is also his strong side] he states:
”Centuries ago, our ancestors changed a swamp into an oasis of tolerance and economical succes, with a flag , wich is internationally synonymous for liberty and freedom This flag deserves to wave in freedom”
Great, demagocical and especially empty words
C The question of the ‘double nationality”
About the ”double nationality” question, Mr Wilders raised dd 27-2 this year in parliament, I can be short
He described the appointment in the newly formed Dutch government, of two labour-politicians of Morrocon descent, namely Mr Aboutaleb and Mrs Albayrak as undersecretaries of States [Mr Aboutaleb at Social Services and Mrs Albayrak at justice and immigrationpolicy], as a ”tsunami of Islamizing”
Also he proposed a parliamentary motion of ”distrust” against their participation to the government, because of their alleged ”lack of loyalty”, having a double nationality
Obviously the socalled ”double nationality” is not the real issue of Mr Wilders, but merely one of the consequences of his racist political views against ”non-western” allochtones in general and their participation to the government in particular Clearly this is the case, because Mr Wilders is aware of the fact, that according to the Moroccon law, Morrocon allochtones are not capable to abandon their Morrocon nationality, yet apart from the right of any human being to a double nationality
Although his political circus made no chance in the House of Parliament, the danger is lying in the hatespeech character
D Berufsverbot:
That his reference to ”dual nationality” is a part of his hatred-campaign, is showing in his socalled ”berufsverbot” [the prohibition on certain professions, mostly appied on political opponents] regarding people with a double nationality, excluding one more million people of ”allochton” descent
The professions he refers to are judges, districts attorneys, policemen, military and ambassadors
The tsunami of racism is going on
E Reaction of the Parliament:
Although a parliamentary majority has loud and clear rejected Mr Wilders regarding the ”double nationality”, there was no radical rejection of his fundamental political views, despite some good critics of MP’s of D’66 [left wing liberals], Groen-Links [the Green-left party], the PvdA [the Labour Party] and the Christen-Unie [the fundamental christian coalition-party, which stands for a humane asylum-policy and a somewhat progressive policy regarding the social weak, but is a strong adherent of as well the anti-terrorpolicy as the Israeli-American policy]
The most critics referred only to the ”double nationality” question and the very disrespectful and inconsiderate personal attitude of Mr Wilders, but not to the basics of his views, namely the racism
When the extreme right wing politician Mr Janmaat [Centrumpartij] entered the House of Parliament in 1982, the mainstream politicians openly rejected his views as racist and were ignoring him as much as possible
I hold no plea for the ignoring of Mr Wilders, out of principles of humanity and respect, which should have to be given to every human being
However, I think it is of the greatest importance, that the politicians have the moral courage to unmask his views as racist
With respect to that, the Dutch politicians should take an example from a number of Belgian politicians, who have openly unmasked mr de Filip de Winter, being racist Many of the Wilders views are corresponding with the Vlaams Belang views [the party of Mr F de Winter, the former Vlaams Blok, which has been convicted because of its racism]
A fundamental political attitude of that kind and the emphasis on a respectful attitude in the parliamentary debates, will contribute a lot to a moral and political defeat of Mr Wilders
Astrid Essed
Amsterdam The Netherlands
Sources:
Passage from the Wilders election-pamphlet dd august 25th of 2006:
”Therefore, urgent changes are necessary! The Netherlands have to become a strong and vital country again! A country with smaller and less-interfering government and a lasting and strong economy! ………… ………… A country, which is proud on his identity and dares to defend it, also within the reality of the greater European connection. A country, which is investing in better security for its inhabitants, better education for its children and a more humane care for older people A country with a harsg punishment for criminal behaviour on the street and islamic terrorism A country with a government, that solves the problems of the civilians ……………… ……………… In short: a better and stronger country [the Netherlands]
“Which not.”Which it does not; a denial of the truth or persuasiveness of an assertion. E.g., “[E]ven if the trick to change a contract for regular coastal service into a concession for exclusive navigation succeeded (… …
”Timmermans congratulated Wilders on his win Wednesday night but took aim at his party, vowing to “never enter into a coalition with a party that excludes Dutchmen.” He added: “Let’s make a fist against exclusion.”POLITICO EUTIMMERMANS EYES OPPOSITION ROLEAFTER FAR-RIGHT WIN IN DUTCH ELECTION23 NOVEMBER 2023
Former EU climate chief Frans Timmermans is ready to play his role in the Dutch opposition after the shock win of far-right politician Geert Wilders in the Dutch election on Wednesday.
“I suspect that we will end up in the opposition,” Timmermans reportedly said on Thursday at a gathering of members of the joint Labor-Green alliance which he led into Wednesday’s election.
The two parties performed well in the vote, raising their joint seat count from 17 to 25, according to projections by Dutch broadcaster NOS based on more than 99 percent of the votes counted. But the big leap forward was eclipsed by the win of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, which came in first place with 37 seats.
It’s now Wilders’ turn to try to form a coalition, Timmermans hinted.
Wilders said on election night that he might try to build a coalition with center-right parties, such as the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the centrist New Social Contract (NSC), and the right-wing populist Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB).
“It is clear that a lot of people expect solutions from the right. Then it’s up to the right to show that they can offer these,” Timmermans said.
Timmermans congratulated Wilders on his win Wednesday night but took aim at his party, vowing to “never enter into a coalition with a party that excludes Dutchmen.” He added: “Let’s make a fist against exclusion.”
Timmermans served as an executive vice president under European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in charge of the EU’s Green Deal. He resigned in August to lead the joint list of the Dutch Social Democratic Party (PVDA) and the Dutch Green Left.
”The PVV’s likely victory in Wednesday’s election is partly due to choices made by the VVD, said D66 leader Rob Jetten at his party’s election night celebration in Amsterdam. The VVD pushed voters down this path with “campaign choices on the backs of refugees.” Several other parties agreed, saying VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz and her party normalized many far-right opinions.”
The PVV’s likely victory in Wednesday’s election is partly due to choices made by the VVD, said D66 leader Rob Jetten at his party’s election night celebration in Amsterdam. The VVD pushed voters down this path with “campaign choices on the backs of refugees.” Several other parties agreed, saying VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz and her party normalized many far-right opinions.
According to Jetten, Yeşilgöz’s party opted for elections over the summer “instead of getting a grip on migration.” He referred to the fourth Cabinet of Prime Minister Mark Rutte, which collapsed after Rutte took a sudden defiant stance on asylum issues as negotiations between the coalition parties were progressing towards an agreement.
Jetten further warned against the extreme ideas of PVV leader Geert Wilders behind his “so-called moderate tone.” He said, “The politics of intolerance has been normalized while it should never be normal,” at which point the gathered audience cheered and applauded. “Yeşilgöz left the door wide open for Wilders.”
Jetten promised “to continue working against hatred and intolerance in the coming years. Because if one party does that when others remain silent, it is Democrats 66.”
Yeşilgöz denied that her party’s campaign strategy made the PVV the largest party in the Tweede Kamer. The outgoing justice and security minister told NOS and RTL Nieuws that she would not rule out working with the PVV after Wilders took a less radical position in debates, and promised to put to shelve his views on Islam.
“It was not the VVD that made the PVV great. The voters did that,” Yeşilgöz said. “That is what’s going on. If you don’t address it and solve it, you get this.”
Yeşilgöz previously said that she does not want her party to join a Cabinet in which Wilders is prime minister. She also pointed out what she considers to be practical obstacles. “I don’t see a majority, I don’t see it happening.”
Denk party leader Stephan van Baarle would not congratulate PVV leader Geert Wilders on the victory he achieved. Van Baarle also said that Yeşilgöz and others have normalized the “extreme right” in the Netherlands.
Wilders’ profit is a threat to human rights and the rule of law, according to Van Baarle. According to the 32-year-old party leader, this “leads to fear among many people.” Denk must stand up for those people, said Van Baarle. “We will not be intimidated. We will form a shield against far-right rhetoric, and fight for minorities in this country from day one. Denk is needed more than ever in the fight against racism and discrimination. Combating exclusion and hatred of Muslims is part of our DNA.”
Since Hamas launched a bloody surprise attack on Israel on October 7, Denk has mainly been in the news with a fiercely pro-Palestinian position. Van Baarle concluded his election night speech in an Amsterdam-Osdorp with the controversial slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” seen by many Israelis and Jewish people as a call to expel them from Israel as part of a one-state solution to decades of conflict.
Denk party prominent Farid Azarkan said on X that the PVV victory was “a rotten move. Making the PVV the largest! Never thought this would happen in the Netherlands.” He previously announced that he would not return to Parliament, but said on X the PVV victory might push him back into politics.
Wilders himself has already said that he wants a “center-right” Cabinet, in which the VVD can also take part. Wilders obtains 35 seats according to the exit poll, and can achieve a majority together with the VVD (24 seats) and Pieter Omtzigt’s NSC. Omtzigt also previously said that he did not want to cooperate with the PVV, because of the anti-democratic proposals in the PVV program regarding religious freedoms. Omtzigt seemed to soften that stance on Wednesday.
Current coalition party D66 was projected to get 10 seats. During the previous elections, D66 won 24 seats. Jetten called the result a tough pill to swallow. “Double -digits are fantastic, but we had hoped for more,” said the D66 leader.
Denk is expected to retain its current three seats in the Tweede Kamer. Van Baarle said he was proud of that. “I am very happy that we are a beacon of stability.” He added he was hopeful that total could rise as the votes are counted.
”PVV leader Geert Wilders responded to his political colleagues’ call for him to denounce xenophobic violence in the asylum debate exactly as D66 leader Alexander Pechtold expected him to. He has no intention of doing so. From his holiday destination, Wilders posted on Twitter: “Politicians and the press can go to hell. Distance yourselves from your cowardice and betrayal of the Netherlands to Islam. Morons.”
PVV leader Geert Wilders responded to his political colleagues’ call for him to denounce xenophobic violence in the asylum debate exactly as D66 leader Alexander Pechtold expected him to. He has no intention of doing so. From his holiday destination, Wilders posted on Twitter: “Politicians and the press can go to hell. Distance yourselves from your cowardice and betrayal of the Netherlands to Islam. Morons.” A number of Wilders’ political colleagues, including PvdA Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher and ChristenUnie leader Gert-Jan Segers, insisted that the PVV leader distance himself from incidents like the riots in Geldermalsen disrupting the debate on a possible asylum center in the municipality on Wednesday. Before the debate Wilders called for rebellion against the asylum center on Twitter On Thursday a Somali family in Pannerden was attacked. Their home was pelted with fireworks and a racist pamphlet, showing a picture of Wilders and the text “Immigrants must go! This is just the beginning!”, was stuck to their front door. Over the weekend a mosque in Dordrecht was occupied by the group Identitair Verzet, who hung a banner bearing slogans like “Less, less” , referring to Wilders’ statements about Moroccans that currently have him facing a hate speech trial. D66 leader Pechtold told NRC on Monday that he also believes that Wilders should speak out against this violence, but expects that he will not do it. “His answer will be: I don’t have to do anything.”
