Anti-Islam Populist Geert Wilders Wins Netherlands Election

Workers prepare to remove an election sign of Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders near the Binnenhof, a day after the Netherlands general elections, in the Hague on November 23, 2023. (Photo by ROBIN UTRECHT/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

Anti-Islam populist Greet Wilders, dubbed the “Dutch Dolald Trump,” has won a massive victory in an election that could potentially make him the Netherlands’ next prime minister. 

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After almost all votes were counted, Wilders’ Party for Freedom was expected to take 37 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament. 

This is more than twice the 17 seats he won in the previous election. This number is also two more than an exit poll had predicted when voting concluded on Wednesday night.

“The PVV wants to, from a fantastic position with 35 seats that can totally no longer be ignored by any party, cooperate with other parties,” Wilders stated.

35!!!!!! 

PVV GROOTSTE PARTIJ pic.twitter.com/oMANVYvGjy

— Geert Wilders (@geertwilderspvv) November 22, 2023

Now that Wilders has decisively won the Dutch election, he is in a strong position to form the country’s next ruling coalition and could even take over as prime minister.

The only other time where Wilders was close to governing was in 2010, when he backed Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s initial coalition. However, in an argument over austerity measures, Wilders overthrew the minority government after just eighteen months in office without formally joining it.

Reportedly, this caused the mainstream parties to avoid him ever since.

Due to his remarks about Islam, Wilders has been the target of extremists and has lived under constant protection for a number of years. 

Having faced death threats, he has testified in court and promised not to be silenced. Over the course of almost 20 years, he has moved from one safe house to another. 

Back in 2009, the British government did not let Wilders into the country, stating that “he posed a threat to community harmony and therefore public safety.” 

This time, in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, Wilders attempted to concentrate less on the “de-Islamization” of the Netherlands and more on addressing pragmatic concerns such as housing scarcity, rising living expenses, and availability to quality healthcare.

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