Right-wing Dutch politician Geert Wilders secured the most seats in parliamentary elections on Wednesday in a landslide, putting him far ahead enough that he is expected to become the Netherlands’ next leader.
With nearly all votes counted, Mr. Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) was forecast to win 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament, more than double the 17 the party secured in the last election.
The 60-year-old politician expressed a desire to become the Netherlands’ next prime minister following his lead in the polls.
Mr. Wilders said he would support a referendum on the country leaving the European Union but that restriction on immigration must come first.
“But the first thing is a significant restriction on asylum and immigration,” Mr. Wilders told Dutch media. “We don’t do that for ourselves, we do that for all Dutch people who voted for us.”
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban also congratulated Mr. Wilders “on winning the Dutch elections.”
Mr. Wilders, a right-wing populist widely known for his anti-Islam views, pledged to curb “the asylum tsunami” and immigration to the Netherlands if he were to win the parliamentary election.
PVV Can ‘No Longer Be Ignored’
Mr. Wilders still needs to convince other parties to join him in a coalition. The PVV leader requires 76 seats to secure a majority in the 150-seat parliament.Mr. Wilders said Thursday that he is ready to join the next Dutch coalition government and appeared confident that he could reach an agreement with other parties and form a government this time round.
“No party can ignore us any longer after we got 35 seats,” Mr. Wilders told PVV supporters following the result.
The only time Mr. Wilders came close to governing was when he supported the first coalition formed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte in 2010. But he did not formally join the minority administration and brought it down after just 18 months in office in a dispute over austerity measures. Since then, mainstream parties have shunned him.
His anti-Islam rhetoric also has made him a target for Islamist extremists, and led to him living under police protection for years. He has appeared in court as a victim of death threats, vowing never to be silenced.
In 2021, Mr. Wilders told AFP that he has no regret fighting for freedom. “Of course I take a stand. I am under attack, my country is under attack,” he was quoted as saying.
To court mainstream voters this time around, Mr. Wilders toned down his anti-immigration rhetoric, instead saying his platform would tackle issues like housing shortages, the cost-of-living crisis, and access to good health care.
