After enjoying his victory in the Netherlands, far-right and Islamophobic politician Geert Wilders began the formal process of building a government coalition on Friday, a process which promises to be particularly stormy.
Mr Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) won 37 seats of the 150 seats in the lower house, according to almost complete results. An unexpected score for the 60-year-old politician, with his famous peroxide hair, but which does not guarantee him the post of Prime Minister.
At the end of the vote, Mr. Wilders was said to be in favor of a majority coalition bringing together the New Social Contract (NSC, 20 seats) of the pro-reformer Pieter Omtzigt, the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB, 7 seats) and the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD, 24 seats).
Mr. Wilders should be able to count on the BBB. But just before the start of discussions in Parliament on Friday, the new leader of the VVD Dilan Yeşilgöz declared that her party, in power for 13 years, no longer had its place in the executive. “With a loss of ten seats, the voter sent a clear signal to the VVD,” said Ms Yeşilgöz. “That doesn’t make things any easier,” responded Mr. Wilders.
Available for discussions
A novice on the political scene, Pieter Omtzigt, of the new anti-corruption party NSC, said he was “available” for negotiations while conceding that the process would be “not easy”.
Mr Wilders toned down his inflammatory Islamophobic and anti-immigration rhetoric during the campaign, but the PVV manifesto calls for a ban on mosques and the Koran, as well as a referendum on leaving the European Union.
He has often reiterated his willingness to compromise on some of his hardest positions and assured that he would be “Prime Minister of all Dutch people”.
‘Constructive’
Ms Yeşilgöz had broken a long-standing taboo by asserting herself during the campaign open to a coalition with the far-right party if she won the elections. For analysts, this contributed to the PVV’s electoral victory.
Just before the vote, she rejected the idea of joining a government led by Mr Wilders, but, following the election result, remained evasive.
In general, cabinets rely on the majority of the lower house (76 seats) when forming. But the fragmented Dutch political system means it often takes four or more parties to reach that figure.
Another rare option is a minority government which must always try to find a parliamentary majority for its proposals.
“Governing is therefore not an obvious choice” for the VVD, Ms Yeşilgöz underlined on Friday. But promising not to “shirk her responsibilities”, she promised to “constructively support a center-right cabinet with good measures”, however by acting from “the House”.
Fears of the Muslim community
Leaders of the Dutch Muslim community expressed fears after Wilders’ victory, but some Muslims are pragmatic. “I think he deserves a chance,” said Burak Cen, a 40-year-old taxi driver, in an Amsterdam café.
Mr Wilders “is simply trying to attract votes with his propaganda about mosques and Muslims”, thinks Mr Cen. “But otherwise, what he says about the Dutch and poverty is right.”
Chanting “you are not alone”, demonstrators gathered on Thursday in Utrecht (West) and Amsterdam to protest against Mr. Wilders’ surprise electoral victory. Another rally is planned for Friday.