New political era: Dutch elections: red-green, first woman or right-wing Wilders?

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An exciting head-to-head race is expected when the approximately 13.3 million eligible voters re-elect the 150 representatives.

For the first time, right-wing populist Geert Wilders (60) and his Freedom Party (PVV) could become the strongest force in the House of Representatives, comparable to the German Bundestag. Just two days before the elections, Wilders’ numbers shot up in the polls. The polling stations close at 9 p.m. The first predictions are then expected.

However, the chance that the right winger will become the new head of government is small. Hardly anyone wants to work together in a coalition under Prime Minister Wilders. And according to the polls, no party can win an absolute majority. Only four parties each received more than twelve percent of the votes.

The right-liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) is roughly on par with the PVV. Top candidate Dilan Yesilgöz (46) wants to succeed her party colleague Mark Rutte and thus become the first woman to lead the cabinet in The Hague. Yesilgöz does not rule out a collaboration with right winger Wilders. According to election observers, this made Wilders’ PVV socially acceptable.

According to the studies, the Social Democrats and the Greens also have a chance of success. They are acting as an alliance for the first time and want to prevent the feared shift to the right with their top candidate, former EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans (62).

The outcome is difficult to predict. “About 70 percent of voters still haven’t made a decision,” said election researcher Peter Kanne of the I&O Research Institute. “Many will choose strategically.” The election researcher expects that right-wing voters will vote for Wilders and his hard anti-migration policy in order to enforce the right-wing coalition possible. On the other hand, other voters would now consider voting for the red-green alliance to avoid a coalition with Wilders.

Wilders was particularly mild during the election campaign. Therefore, he put his controversial views against Islam on hold. “It’s not a priority right now,” he said. “I am available as prime minister.” But his party program remains clear and calls for a ban on mosques and the Koran and for ‘Nexit’, the withdrawal of the Netherlands from the EU.

Presumably at least three parties will have to come together to form a coalition to reach a majority. Observers already expect extremely difficult coalition negotiations – regardless of the election results. After the previous elections, in March 2021, it took almost ten months before right-liberal Mark Rutte could present his fourth cabinet.

But in the summer, after just eighteen months, the center-right coalition collapsed due to the migration policy dispute. Rutte then announced his departure from national politics. He has been prime minister of the kingdom for about thirteen years and wants to remain in office until a new government is formed.

The topics of this election campaign were migration, housing shortages and poverty. The right-wing parties in particular promised to drastically reduce the influx of labor migrants, refugees and also foreign students.

The elections are overshadowed by a major crisis of confidence. Citizens testify that the state and politicians have failed in the areas of migration, the healthcare system, housing and social security. That is precisely the subject of former Christian Democrat Pieter Omtzigt and his new party ‘New Social Contract’. He wants to advocate a new leadership culture and is considered credible by many voters. It is also predicted that he will be successful in the elections and thus play a decisive role in forming a government.

(SDA)

Source: Blick