The final official results of the Dutch parliamentary elections have confirmed the victory of Geert Wilders, local media reported. The Dutch Electoral Council announced the results on Friday, confirming the exit polls of November 22.
Last week, more than 10.4 million voters cast their ballots to elect 150-seat MPs.
Party for Freedom (PVV) of Geert Wilders, known for his populist and anti-Islamic rhetoric, became the primary party winning 37 seats. It is followed by GroenLinks-PvdA with 25 seats, a coalition led by former European Commissioner Frans Timmermans.
Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VDD) recorded a significant loss of 24 seats. The other two parties, NSC and D66, won 20 and 9 seats respectively.
Despite his harsh rhetoric, Wilders has already begun to embrace other right-wing and centrist parties, declaring in a victory speech that any policies he pursues will be “within the law and constitution.”
Wilders’ election programme included calls for a referendum on the Netherlands’ exit from the European Union (the so-called “Nexit”), a complete halt to the reception of asylum seekers, as well as the containment of migrants at Dutch borders.
