bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders said on Wednesday that he would not be prime minister despite his stunning election win in November, due to a lack of support across the political spectrum.
“I can only become Prime Minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. That was not the case,” Wilders said on X.
“The love for my country and voters is bigger and more important than my own position.”
The announcement came on the eve of an eagerly awaited report on Dutch coalition talks, amid speculation of a breakthrough that could result in a technocratic government.

The man overseeing the negotiations, Kim Putters, has said the bickering parties were ready to take the “next step” after two days of “good and intense” talks at a country estate.
Wilders posted on X that he wanted a “right-wing cabinet … less asylum and immigration. The Dutch come first”.
Some Dutch Muslims back Wilders even as he compares Koran to Hitler’s Mein Kampf
Party leaders have been tight-lipped during the process but public broadcaster NOS reported that the most likely outcome was an “extra-parliamentary” or technocratic cabinet.
It is unclear exactly what form this could take, but it is expected that four party leaders will serve as MPs.
Parties would appoint the members of the cabinet but they could be drawn from “ordinary” party members or even from outside politics, according to media reports.
Wilders stunned the Netherlands and Europe with a convincing victory in November elections that put him in pole position to lead coalition negotiations.
Unlike Britain, France or the United States for example, the Netherlands has a very fractured political system that means no party is strong enough to govern on its own.
The far-right leader’s Freedom Party (PVV) therefore started talks with the centre-right Liberal VVD party, the BBB farmers’ party, and a new party, the New Social Contract (NSC).

The NSC, led by anti-corruption champion Pieter Omtzigt, was the other new factor in the election, gaining 20 seats and making it indispensable in any coalition.
But cracks began to show in the talks almost immediately, with sniping on social media and by the NSC in particular raising questions about the PVV’s far-right manifesto.
Among other things, the PVV manifesto calls for a ban on mosques, the Koran and Islamic headscarves. It also wants a binding referendum on a “Nexit” – the Netherlands leaving the European Union.
In February, Omtzigt abruptly quit the coalition talks, plunging the process into chaos with the differences between his party and the PVV “too big” to bridge.
At the time, the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper described the talks as a “slow-motion disaster” with “poison, mutual sniping, gossiping”.
A new person, known in the Netherlands as an “informer”, was appointed to oversee the talks and this appears to have unblocked the stalemate.
The new informer, Putters, managed to get the four party leaders back to the negotiating table with talks reportedly moving towards a technocratic government.
Time is ticking for the Netherlands to find a prime minister, as the man holding the fort, Mark Rutte, is widely expected to become the new Nato secretary general.
Since the election, support for the PVV has only increased, surveys suggest, as voters voice frustration at the slow pace of talks.
“Do not forget: I will become prime minister of the Netherlands one day. With the support of even more Dutch,” Wilders posted.
“If not tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow. Because the voices of millions of Dutch will be heard!”


Hong Kong customs seizes HK$18 million of suspected ketamine in baby car seats

Snow, ice paralyse Europe as brutal cold snap disrupts flights, rail services

Indonesia’s ‘humane’ new criminal code sparks warnings about civil liberties curbs

Anne Frank’s stepsister, Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss, dies at 96

The Netherlands

Dutch far-right firebrand Geert Wilders says he won’t be prime minister

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders. Photo: AFP

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders addresses media in The Hague on March 1. Photo: AFP

Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte is widely expected to become the new Nato secretary general. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via AFP

Netherlands far-right’s Geert Wilders seeks to form Dutch government after shock election win

Dutch anti-Islam, anti-EU populist politician Geert Wilders looks set to become the Netherlands’ next prime minister. Photo: EPA-EFE

Geert Wilders softened his anti-Islam rhetoric during the campaign. Photo: EPA-EFE

The election was called after the fourth and final coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte resigned in July. Photo: AP

VVD party members watch Dutch politician and leader of the Party for Freedom Geert Wilders after the announcement of the first exit polls of the general election, at the VVD party headquarters in The Hague. Photo: AFP

Dutch MP Geert Wilders courts controversy by suggesting women carry pepper spray to fend off Muslim men

epa05120327 Party for Freedom (PVV) leader Geert Wilders (C) distributes a color spray to women, in Spijkernisse, The Netherlands, 23 January 2015. In a populist campaign move, Wilders distributed self-defence sprays to women which he says they can use to prevent sexual assault. He blamed 'Islamic testosterone bombs' for the sexual assaults that took place in Cologne, Germany, on New Year's Eve. EPA/REMKO DE WAAL

Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders (centre) distributes fake pepper spray. Photo: EPA

Portugal’s conservatives win election as far-right surges

Supporters of the centre-right Democratic Alliance coalition party at their party headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal on Sunday. Photo: AP

Democratic Alliance leader Luis Montenegro celebrates victory. Photo: AFP

News

World

Europe

Far-right politician willing to forgo Dutch premiership to advance coalition talks
It comes after months of haggling following his shock election win in November


The far-right politician, whose anti-Islam, anti-migrant rhetoric swept him to a shock election victory, does not have support of all parties in his coalition.


Racism and other prejudice

Mark Rutte

Dutch far-right firebrand Geert Wilders says he won’t be prime minister

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Far-right politician willing to forgo Dutch premiership to advance coalition talks It comes after months of haggling following his shock election win in November

Far-right politician willing to forgo Dutch premiership to advance coalition talks

It comes after months of haggling following his shock election win in November