Netherlands, Wilders can’t find a majority and gives up being Premier

Brussels- Geert Wilders, the leader of the far-right formation Party for Freedom (PVV), who overwhelmingly won parliamentary elections in November, didn’t even manage to take a short walk in the park of the beautiful residence of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, just outside the center of The Hague. Last night, in a message on X, he announced that he had dropped out of the race because he could not find the support of the several other parties needed to form a majority.

“I can become prime minister only if all the coalition parties support it. They didn’t. I would like a right-wing government. Less asylum and immigration. The Dutch first,” Wilders wrote. “Love for my country and voters is great and more important than my position. I love the Netherlands.” Repeating his rhetoric, he had to admit he couldn’t do it.

When the polls opened, the far-right party won 23.5 percent of the votes, finishing 8 percentage points ahead of the coalition between the Labor Party and the Green Left GroenLinks (PvdA/Gl), led by the former head of the European Green Deal in the EU Commission, Frans Timmermans. Despite the increase in votes (+4.7 percent) compared to the last election in 2021 – when the two forces ran divided – the red-green coalition came in second with 25 seats, behind the PVV’s 37. Third place went to the center-right of the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD, which, despite its name, is not part of the European People’s Party family but of the Renew Europe liberals), with a 6.7 percentage point drop and 10 fewer seats at the Tweede Kamer (from 34 to 24). Same fate for the liberals of Democraten 66 (from 24 to 9 seats) and the Christian Democrats of Christian Democratic Appeal (from 15 to 5). A feat for the new center-right New Social Contract formation, NSC, which came in fourth with 12.8 percent and 20 seats. Also noteworthy is the advance of the Country Civic Movement BBB – a populist party that advocates farmers’ interests – with 7 seats (+6 from last term). In addition, another eight parties will be represented in the Lower House of the Dutch Parliament.

There are 15 political formations in the Dutch Chamber. From the start, negotiations to form a majority and choose the Prime Minister have been an uphill battle due to cross-vetoes.

There will now be a debate in the Lower House to see if the parties involved in negotiations, PVV, VVD, BBB, and NSC, can reach an understanding with a different premier or if everything has stalled. The goal is to secure a majority of at least 76 out of 150 seats in the Tweede Kamer (the lower house of the Dutch national parliament).