Setback for Dutch right-wing populist Wilders in forming government

The PVV program calls for, among other things, a ban on mosques, headscarves and the Koran.

Setback for Dutch right-wing populist Wilders in forming government

The PVV program calls for, among other things, a ban on mosques, headscarves and the Koran. It also provides for a referendum on the Netherlands' withdrawal from the European Union. During the election campaign, Wilders expressed himself in a more moderate manner. Since election night last week, he has emphasized that he wants to be the prime minister of "all Dutch people."

Wilders' PVV won 37 of 150 seats in the parliamentary election. Right-wing populists would need 76 seats for a stable majority. In addition to his PVV, his preferred coalition would consist of the NSC (20 seats), the farmers' party BBB with seven seats and the VVD of the previous head of government Mark Rutte (24 seats). However, the VVD has already ruled out participation. The NSC and BBB, on the other hand, were previously considered more open, but now the NSC also rejected it.

Wilders' election victory was tantamount to a political earthquake for the Netherlands. The process of forming a government in the Netherlands is being closely watched in Europe given Wilders' anti-immigration, anti-Islam and anti-Europe agenda. The right-wing populist is sometimes compared to former US President Donald Trump because of his violent polemics against immigrants and Muslims.

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