https://sputnikglobe.com/20231123/wilders-triumph-in-netherlands-election-furthers-europes-right-wing-swing--1115157102.html
Wilders' Triumph in Netherlands Election Furthers Europe's Right-Wing Swing
Wilders' Triumph in Netherlands Election Furthers Europe's Right-Wing Swing
Sputnik International
The Freedom Party (PVV) of Geert Wilder, a Dutch politician who professes strong anti-EU and anti-immigrant sentiments, will be largest group in the next parliament in The Netherlands.
2023-11-23T10:11+0000
2023-11-23T10:11+0000
2023-11-23T11:11+0000
geert wilders
marine le pen
right-wing parties
right-wing
european union (eu)
migrants
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Geert Wilders, a Dutch political firebrand who professes strong anti-EU and anti-immigrant sentiments, and has demanded a halt to aid to Ukraine, appears to be the latest right-wing politician to ride to victory the wave of popular discontent sweeping the European continent.Wilders left his mainstream rivals biting the dust, the initial tally after the legislative elections in the Netherlands on November 22 showed. After outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s four consecutive governments, exit polls suggested Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) will be largest group in the next parliament.According to Ipsos polling, Wilders’ Party for Freedom gained the most seats - 35, followed by the Green-Labour alliance, led by Frans Timmermans, with 25 seats. The People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), led by Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius, got 24 seats, according to the exit polling.As Geert Wilders addressed cheering supporters in a reaction to the exit poll results, the PVV leader said, “No party can ignore us any longer after we got 35 seats.”He added:Prominent figures across Europe, from France’s Marine Le Pen, to Hungary’s Viktor Orban rushed to congratulate Wilders.Le Pen, the leading right-wing figure in France, took to the X social media platform to congratulate Wilders and the PVV “for their spectacular performance in the legislative elections which confirms the growing attachment to the defense of national identities.”The chairwoman of the parliamentary faction of the Assemblée Nationale (National Rally) party added that “It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished that the hope for change remains alive in Europe."Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday also reacted to Geert Wilders' predicted win. Ties between Budapest and Brussels have been tense of late, with Hungary repeatedly voicing its protest as the EU's blank checks for Kiev. Orban went on X to post that, "The winds of change are here."One place sure to be far from happy over Wilders’ victory is Kiev. Amid growing ‘Ukraine fatigue’ throughout the West due to the burden of supporting the regime with weapons and finances, Wilders has repeatedly called for ending aid to Kiev, and saying weapons should be used for the defense of his own country. Wilders has also previously rallied against what he slammed as “hysterical Russophobia” permeating Europe. Geert Wilders travelled to Moscow in 2017, and met senior Russian officials in the Duma, sporting a Dutch-Russian friendship pin on his lapel. He said Russia and the Netherlands shared many common interests, and condemned certain politicians, who he did not name, who were disseminating "false images of enemies."It should be noted that under Mark Rutte, the Netherlands pledged to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in 2024, and has been leading the European effort to train Ukrainian pilots.The 60-year-old politician embraces a stance on immigration that has been a core issue for him for decades. Geert Wilders put on a strong showing in his final election debates, focusing on growing economic woes, pledging to tackle inflation, resolve the housing crisis, and called for the Netherlands to withdraw from its international climate obligations.Some of his proposed measures include reinstating Dutch border control, ensuring that illegal immigrants are detained and deported, and reintroducing work permits for intra-EU workers. According to his party's manifesto, the Netherlands “has been seriously weakened due the ongoing asylum tsunami and mass immigration.” Another of Wilders' signature proposals is to hold a binding referendum on leaving the European Union. Europe's Shift to the RightOne can envision headlines pronouncing Wilders’ victory as a ‘shock,’ or ‘upset.’ But if you look at how people across the European continent have been voting the past few years, the success of the right-wing political outlier in the Netherlands fits the trend that has been increasingly gaining traction. In France, Marine Le Pen's party recently topped an IFOP poll for next year's European elections, securing, for now, a comfortable lead over President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance. The French leader's support for Ukraine, fueling the NATO proxy war against Russia, has consistently been slammed by the country's right-wing politicians, including le Pen, as escalatory, with warnings of a possible direct conflict with Russia.In Italy last year, Giorgia Meloni won power for her right-wing Brothers of Italy party, with the new Italian government sworn in on 22 October. Also engulfed by a migrant crisis, Italy will take "extraordinary measures" to deal with an influx of arrivals that has become unbearable for the country this year, the PM said. Meloni deplored the fact that Italy "has been left alone" to deal with the migration crisis.In Germany, the right-wing Alternative for Deutschland boasts more support than any of the parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s beleaguered coalition. In Germany’s state elections in southern Bavaria and western Hesse in October, the anti-immigration AfD boasted gains showing its growing appeal reaching beyond the traditional strongholds."Hesse and Bavaria are a sign that the AfD can build on solid ground in the West as it has in the East. The reason for this is widespread weariness with migration policy," the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine wrote. Furthermore, Germany’s economy is in dire straits, facing further economic decline and deindustrialization, and expected to be the worst-performing among the G7 nations this year. Heavily-industrialized Germany has been hit harder than other EU members by backfiring sanctions on Russian gas, oil and coal imports imposed over the Ukraine crisis, as well as the bombing of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. Furthermore, tens of thousands of Ukrainians who moved to Germany following the escalation of the conflict have become a “drain” on Berlin's public finances, Gunnar Beck, a member of the European Parliament for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said earlier. Only a relatively small portion of them has since found a job in their new host country, with many Ukrainian migrants appearing content to just collect welfare.Even Slovakia fits the trend displayed by right-wing parties and politicians. The new government, led by anti-EU Prime Minister Robert Fico, won a mandatory confidence vote in Parliament on Tuesday. Fico, who took over as prime minister after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party won Slovakia’s parliamentary election on September 30, has also vowed to end the country’s military aid for Ukraine and cut immigration."We support humanitarian and civil assistance to Ukraine — this will be the official policy of my cabinet. We will not supply Ukraine with any weapons," Fico said during a meeting with lawmakers last month.
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geert wilder, dutch politician, freedom party (pvv), legislative elections in the netherlands, anti-eu and anti-immigrant sentiments, europe's right-wing swing
geert wilder, dutch politician, freedom party (pvv), legislative elections in the netherlands, anti-eu and anti-immigrant sentiments, europe's right-wing swing
Wilders' Triumph in Netherlands Election Furthers Europe's Right-Wing Swing
10:11 GMT 23.11.2023 (Updated: 11:11 GMT 23.11.2023) Support for right-wing parties across Europe has been surging in a trend that shows no sign of abating. Everything from the spiraling cost of food and energy, triggered in part by anti-Russia sanctions, to the surge in refugees - most recently from Ukraine as a result of NATO’s proxy war against Russia - has spurred Europe’s shift to the right.
Geert Wilders, a Dutch political firebrand who professes strong anti-EU and anti-immigrant sentiments, and has demanded a halt to
aid to Ukraine, appears to be the latest
right-wing politician to ride to victory the wave of popular discontent sweeping the European continent.
Wilders left his mainstream rivals biting the dust, the initial tally after the legislative elections in the Netherlands on November 22 showed. After outgoing Prime Minister
Mark Rutte’s four consecutive governments, exit polls suggested Wilders’
Freedom Party (PVV) will be largest group in the next parliament.
According to Ipsos polling, Wilders’ Party for Freedom gained the most seats - 35, followed by the Green-Labour alliance, led by Frans Timmermans, with 25 seats. The People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), led by Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius, got 24 seats, according to the exit polling.
Mark Rutte announced his resignation after the government coalition failed to agree on measures to limit the influx of asylum seekers after a long series of consultations. Later, the Netherlands Broadcasting Corporation (NOS) reported that Rutte submitted to the king a petition for the resignation of his government. The Electoral Council of the Netherlands has announced that new parliamentary elections in the country may take place in mid-November.
As Geert Wilders addressed cheering supporters in a reaction to the exit poll results, the PVV leader said, “No party can ignore us any longer after we got 35 seats.”
“The hope of the Dutch people is that they will get their country back.”
Prominent figures across Europe, from France’s
Marine Le Pen, to Hungary’s
Viktor Orban rushed to congratulate Wilders.
Le Pen, the leading right-wing figure in France, took to the X social media platform to congratulate Wilders and the PVV “for their spectacular performance in the legislative elections which confirms the growing attachment to the defense of national identities.”
The chairwoman of the parliamentary faction of the Assemblée Nationale (National Rally) party added that “It is because there are people who refuse to see the national torch extinguished that the hope for change remains alive in Europe."
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Wednesday also reacted to Geert Wilders' predicted win. Ties between Budapest and Brussels have been tense of late, with Hungary repeatedly
voicing its protest as the EU's blank checks for Kiev. Orban went on X to post that, "
The winds of change are here."
One place sure to be far from happy over Wilders’ victory is Kiev. Amid
growing ‘Ukraine fatigue’ throughout the West due to the burden of supporting the regime with weapons and finances, Wilders has repeatedly called for ending aid to Kiev, and saying weapons should be used for the defense of his own country. Wilders has also previously rallied against what he slammed as “
hysterical Russophobia” permeating Europe. Geert Wilders travelled to Moscow in 2017, and met senior Russian officials in the Duma, sporting a Dutch-Russian friendship pin on his lapel. He said Russia and the Netherlands shared many common interests, and condemned certain politicians, who he did not name, who were disseminating "
false images of enemies."
It should be noted that under Mark Rutte, the Netherlands pledged
to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in 2024, and has been leading the European effort to train Ukrainian pilots.
22 November 2017, 16:42 GMT
The 60-year-old politician embraces a stance on immigration that has been a core issue for him for decades. Geert Wilders put on a strong showing in his final election debates, focusing on growing economic woes, pledging to tackle inflation, resolve the housing crisis, and called for the Netherlands to withdraw from its international climate obligations.
Some of his proposed measures include reinstating Dutch border control, ensuring that illegal immigrants are detained and deported, and reintroducing work permits for intra-EU workers. According to his party's manifesto, the Netherlands “has been seriously weakened due the ongoing asylum tsunami and mass immigration.” Another of Wilders' signature proposals is to hold a binding referendum on leaving the European Union.
Europe's Shift to the Right
One can envision headlines pronouncing Wilders’ victory as a ‘shock,’ or ‘upset.’ But if you look at how people across the European continent have been voting the past few years, the success of the right-wing political outlier in the Netherlands fits
the trend that has been increasingly gaining traction.
In
France,
Marine Le Pen's party recently topped an
IFOP poll for next year's European elections, securing, for now, a comfortable lead over President Emmanuel Macron's
Renaissance. The French leader's support for Ukraine, fueling the NATO proxy war against Russia, has consistently been slammed by the country's right-wing politicians, including le Pen, as escalatory, with warnings of
a possible direct conflict with Russia.
In
Italy last year, Giorgia Meloni won power for her right-wing Brothers of Italy party, with the new Italian government sworn in on 22 October. Also engulfed by a migrant crisis, Italy will take
"extraordinary measures" to deal with an influx of arrivals that has become unbearable for the country this year, the PM said. Meloni deplored the fact that Italy "
has been left alone" to deal with the
migration crisis.
In
Germany, the right-wing
Alternative for Deutschland boasts more support than any of the parties in Chancellor
Olaf Scholz’s beleaguered coalition. In Germany’s state elections in southern Bavaria and western Hesse in October, the
anti-immigration AfD boasted gains showing its growing appeal reaching beyond the traditional strongholds.
"Hesse and Bavaria are a sign that the AfD can build on solid ground in the West as it has in the East. The reason for this is widespread weariness with migration policy," the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine wrote.
8 November 2023, 19:13 GMT
Furthermore, Germany’s
economy is in dire straits, facing further economic decline and deindustrialization, and expected to be the worst-performing among the G7 nations this year. Heavily-industrialized Germany has been hit harder than other EU members by backfiring sanctions on Russian gas, oil and coal imports imposed over the Ukraine crisis, as well as the bombing of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines. Furthermore, tens of thousands of Ukrainians who moved to Germany following the escalation of the conflict have become a “drain” on Berlin's public finances, Gunnar Beck, a member of the European Parliament for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said earlier. Only a relatively small portion of them has since found a job in their new host country, with many Ukrainian
migrants appearing content to just collect welfare.
Even
Slovakia fits the trend displayed by right-wing parties and politicians. The new government, led by anti-EU Prime Minister Robert Fico, won a mandatory confidence vote in Parliament on Tuesday. Fico, who took over as prime minister after his leftist
Smer, or
Direction, party won Slovakia’s parliamentary election on September 30, has also
vowed to end the country’s military aid for Ukraine and cut immigration.
"We support humanitarian and civil assistance to Ukraine — this will be the official policy of my cabinet. We will not supply Ukraine with any weapons," Fico said during a meeting with lawmakers last month. 
13 November 2023, 15:18 GMT
