Geert Wilders, the Dutch anti-Islam and anti-EU populist politician, looks set to take over as prime minister of the Netherlands after his Freedom Party (PVV) topped exit polls in Wednesday’s parliamentary elections.
Geert Wilders will begin his search for coalition partners on Thursday. With 98% of the votes counted, his Freedom Party (PVV) won 37 seats in parliament out of 150, ahead of 25 candidates from the joint Labour-Green party and 24 representatives of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Dutch center-right daily NRC said:
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 Wednesday exceeded all expectations.
A coalition of the Freedom Party, the NSC party of centrist legislator Pieter Omtzigt and the VVD would give a combined total of 81 seats, making it the most obvious option, but could require months of difficult negotiations. None of the parties with which he could form a government supports his anti-European ideas. Wilders said in his victory speech late on Wednesday:
I am confident we can reach an agreement. We want to govern and … we will govern.
