Dutch Elections: The Geert Wilders Effect Explained

Geert Wilders, the populist leader of the Freedom party (PVV), has benefited from a fragmentation in Dutch politics. But despite topping several polls, his party is likely to attract less than 20% of the vote and he has no real hope of winning power in a post-election coalition in the Netherlands. So should the attention-seeking Geert Wilders simply be ignored?

Read the Guardian article here

Douglas Murray and Melle Garschagen Discuss the Turbulence in Dutch Politics

THE SPECTATOR: Why Geert Wilders is taking over Dutch politics »

Geert Wilders on BBC Hardtalk: "Islam Is Not Our Culture, Should Never Be and Will Never Be"

Dutch Coalition Agreement - But What's In It for Wilders?
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: The Qur'an will not be banned, headscarves will not be taxed, and Muslims will not be deported en masse. Geert Wilders did not get everything he wanted in the coalition agreement between the conservative VVD and the Christian Democrats, propped up by own Freedom Party.

So what did Mr Wilders get in return for supporting this minority cabinet? These are the main PVV points: >>> John Tyler | Thursday, September 30, 2010

REUTERS: Dutch government pact cuts budget, bans burqa: Two Dutch centre-right political parties, supported by the anti-Islam Freedom Party, announced a coalition agreement on Thursday that calls for balancing the budget by 2015 and banning the burqa. >>> | Amsterdam, September 30, 2010

THE LOCAL: German politicians slam Dutch pact with Geert Wilders' far-right party: German politicians on both sides of the spectrum have expressed deep unease over the Netherlands’ conservative parties' decisions to strike a tentative power deal with the far-right populist Geert Wilders. >>> | Thursday, September 30, 2010

Dutch Town Lets Its Blond Hair Down for Race Row Politician Wilders
Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: Bouffant blond wigs have sold out in Venlo, a town in the Deep South of the Netherlands.

They represent the trademark bleached hairdo of Geert Wilders, Venlo’s most famous son and leader of the far-right Freedom Party which promises to ban mosque-building and the Koran and end Muslim immigration.

Mr Wilders is now involved in coalition talks after winning 24 seats in the 150-member Dutch parliament in this week’s election. Some commentators believe he could join a cabinet led by the right-wing liberals who topped the poll with 31 MPs.

In Venlo — in Limburg province, on the German border — one in four voters backed the man whose extravagant appearance has earned him the nickname “Mozart”.

Elian Van Ewijk, 35, the owner of a party gear shop, kept the last of the €6.95 (£6) hairpieces for himself.

“I do not like his ideas about Islam but I like what he says about keeping the retirement age and improving healthcare,” he said.

“When I am going to a Muslim country I have to behave like the people there. These people have to do things like us when they come here.” >>> David Charter, Venlo | Saturday, June 12, 2010

The Opportunity Geert Wilders Has Waited For
BBC: A party that calls Islam a backward religion, wants a ban on headscarves in public life and has compared the Koran to Hitler's Mein Kampf has made major gains in local elections in the Netherlands.

Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV) has become the biggest party in the medium-sized city of Almere, and the second biggest in the political capital of the Netherlands, The Hague.

Mr Wilders was visibly buoyed by the results, but was also combative in his reaction, and called the results the first step in the upcoming campaign for parliamentary elections.

"The national campaign begins today. Today, in Almere and The Hague, tomorrow in all of the Netherlands… On 9 June, we'll conquer the Netherlands," he said.

The question remains whether the party will be able to join local government in those two cities. Dutch politics features a plethora of parties, and compromise is necessary to form coalitions.

Geert Wilders has said his party is ready to find the middle ground, but now he will be tested. Other Dutch parties are loath to work together with the PVV because of its outspoken standpoints. >>> John Tyler, Radio Netherlands Worldwide | Thursday, March 04, 2010

Dutch Parties Tussle Over Approach to Far Right: Labour Figure Calls On Others to Keep Wilders Out of Govt
REUTERS: Wilders, other politicians blast move as undemocratic / Blocking approach could push more voters towards far right

AMSTERDAM - A Dutch Labour politician's call to keep far-right leader Geert Wilders out of a new government has stirred anger among other parties who consider the move undemocratic and likely to drive voters towards him.

Wilders and his Freedom Party have been a focus of debate since the Dutch cabinet collapsed on Saturday, as the election on June 9 will be a key opportunity for the anti-immigration group to increase its influence after a stunning success at European elections last year.

Frans Timmermans, a Labour party member and minister for European affairs, said on Monday that Labour would refuse to govern in coalition with Wilders' party, and called on other parties to consider a similar approach.

"The Labour party stands for a completely different Holland than the party of Wilders, and for that reason we cannot be in a government with him," a Labour spokeswoman said.

"He (Timmermans) dared other parties to think the same thing. Do they want to be in a government that segregates people by race and religion?"

Wilders has described the call as an "arrogant" attempt to ringfence his Freedom Party (PVV) and said it was an insult to the democratic system, telling Dutch media "the voter will seek punishment for this". >>> Catherine Hornby | Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Bitter Election Campaign Looms
NRC HANDELSBLAD INTERNATIOBAL: Cleaning up the economy is the issue for the upcoming parliamentary election. How many seats will Wilders get? And what possible coalition could rule? These are the main questions now.

The election campaign kicked off just minutes after the Dutch cabinet collapsed at 4 am Saturday morning. Geert Wilders’ populist PVV party was the first to send out a press release, entitled “PVV is ready for new elections”. The Socialist Party issued one an hour later and left wing liberal D66 followed quickly.

The fall of the latest cabinet led by Jan Peter Balkenende brings some interesting political times, fraught with uncertainty and excitement. New parliamentary elections will be held in three months or so. A definitive date should be set this week.

The campaign is gearing up to be a repeat performance of the 2002 election, marked by the rise and fall of the populist right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn. Fortuyn was assassinated just one week before the election, but his threat to the traditional balance of power had made political leaders from all sides lash out in an unusually bitter election campaign.

This time, populist politician Geert Wilders seems set to play the part of Fortuyn. While he may lack the charisma of the late politician, he is very proficient at generating publicity and dominating public debate.

The main question is: how will the centre-right CDA deal with him? Will the Christian democrats seek cooperation with a party that agitates so loudly against Islam? Wilders has already created a possible deal breaker: he wants to maintain the age for state pensions at 65. Raising the age of eligibility to 67 was the only major cutback decision the fallen cabinet had taken. >>> Herman Staal | Monday, February 22, 2010

”Balkenende Is a Weak, Frightened Man Who Gives Way to Threats”, Says Wilders
DUTCH NEWS: Anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders says he will allow the Dutch anti-terrorism coordinator to see his controversial anti-Koran film before it is released, but only on condition that the viewing is not used as and excuse to ban it, NOS tv reports on Tuesday.

Earlier the Telegraaf said Wilders had refused to show the 10-minute film to Tjibbe Joustra, who is responsible for Wilders' security.

Wilders also blamed prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende for ‘all the trouble to come’, according to NOS. Balkenende is a ‘weak, frightened man who gives way to threats’, Wilders, leader of the PVV anti-immigration party said. Wilders to show film to anti-terrorism tzar >>>

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Voters Punish CDA for Appeasement Politics over Wilders Film
NIS NEWS BULLETIN: THE HAGUE, 04/03/08 - The Christian democrats (CDA) would only win 29 seats if general elections were held now. The disfavour of the voters is the result of the party's attempts to prevent Geert Wilders's film on the Koran from being shown, pollster Maurice de Hond reported.

Last week, CDA still scored 32 seats. The new result of 29 is the party's lowest score since the spring of 2006. CDA currently has 41 seats in the Lower House, which has 150 members.

The three seats lost by the CDA would be divided between Wilders' anti-'Islamisation' Party for Freedom (PVV), the conservatives (VVD) and Proud of the Netherlands (TON). Each of these parties would win one more seat than last week.

PVV (now 9 seats) and VVD (now 22 seats) would each win 16 seats. Proud of the Netherlands, the new party being set up by ex-VVD MP Rita Verdonk, would enter the Lower House with 19 seats, De Hond reports. Voters Punish CDA for Appeasement Politics over Wilders Film >>>

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Wilders: Cabinet Fears Prove Islam's Intolerance
NIS NEWS BULLETIN: THE HAGUE, 24/01/08 - In an open letter in newspaper De Volkskrant yesterday, Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders criticised the commotion over his Koran film. With their panicky reactions, politicians and authorities are proving that Islam is an intolerant ideology, in his view.

Wilders uses half of his letter to sketch a contrast between Islam and Christianity. "Imagine that (...) it became known that I was going to make a film to demonstrate the Fascist character of the Bible. Say that I had urged in a letter a few months earlier that the Bible should be banned. (...) Would Premier Balkenende then (...) have spoken of a serious crisis with international effects? Would there (...) have been a special meeting of ministers? Would the chief editors (...) in public broadcasting have conferred about how to deal with the film?" (...) "Of course not."

Wilders summarises a further catalogue of things that would "of course not" have happened if he had criticised the Bible. "But now that my film is not about the Bible but about the Koran, government, media, Muslims and others have been in a state of hysterical panic for weeks." There are two explanations for this, according to Wilders.

"Firstly, Islam is an intolerant ideology (...), within which there is no room for matters like self-reflection and self-criticism. Nor does there appear to be any room for individual responsibility and self-control. (...). Secondly, there is a question of fear. The emergency scenarios (of authorities) illustrate the state of panic within the Dutch government at the moment." (...) "It is not the cabinet (....) but the fear of Islam that governs the Netherlands."

"The fact that a not yet shown film of about 10 minutes could according to some lead to economic boycotts, riots and other horrible things says everything about the nature of Islam. Nothing about me. The cabinet acknowledges with its panicky reaction that Islam is not comparable to Christianity, but is a unique ideology. And this ideology thus demands a separate, unique approach. The Koran film has thus already demonstrated its usefulness."

The National Anti-terrorism Coordinator has warned Wilders that he may have to leave the Netherlands temporarily after the appearance of his anti-Koran film, Wilders added in the letter. The film will appear in "a few weeks," said the PVV leader. [Source: Wilders: Cabinet Fears Prove Islam's Intolerance >>>]

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)