Far-right wins elections in the Netherlands: They oppose aid to Ukraine
Geert Wilders (Photo: facebook.com/geertwilders)
The far-right Freedom Party (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, wins the Dutch parliamentary elections with a landslide. They oppose aid to Ukraine, according to exit polls and NOS.
As of the morning of November 23, almost all votes in the Netherlands had been counted - 98%. The voter turnout was 77.8%.
The far-right Freedom Party (PVV) won by a clear margin in the Netherlands. It is headed by Geert Wilders, who will form the new government. The far-right won 37 seats out of 150 in parliament.
The second place went to the coalition of the Left-Greens and Labor (GroenLinks-PvdA). Former European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans heads the alliance. They will receive 25 seats.
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of the current Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, is in third place with 24 seats in the parliament. The new party, New Social Contract (NSC), headed by Pieter Omzigt, also won 20 seats. The rest of the mandates went to other parties.
What should Ukraine expect?
The media emphasize that there will be a long coalition formation process in the Netherlands. Geert Wilders, whose party won the most seats, will likely try to form a government with Rutte's party and the New Social Contract.
However, negotiations may be complex because other political forces do not support the far-right's views.
Wilders has an anti-Islamic stance and proposes to close all mosques in the Netherlands. In addition, the politician is against strengthening cooperation with the EU, wants to reduce payments, and block the expansion of the union.
The Dutchman supports the policy of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and also advocates the termination of military aid to Ukraine. According to him, the Netherlands itself needs weapons.
Mark Rutte currently heads the Dutch government. He has been in office since 2010. According to preliminary data, Rutte will leave office in the first half of 2024.
At the end of October, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he would be interested in replacing Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General.
Western publications say that Rutte is the clear frontrunner for the post of NATO secretary general.
