faced with the impossibility of forming a government, Wilders in an impasse – L’Express

Since his unexpected victory in the legislative elections on November 23, his political family, the Freedom Party (PVV), has been prospecting to find partners to form a coalition in parliament. And for good reason, the 37 seats won in the last elections do not allow him to govern. Thus, to have the majority in this lower house made up of 150 elected officials, Geert Wilders must double his ranks.

And to do this, the PVV is eyeing several chapels. First and foremost, the center-right New Social Contract (NSC) party, with its sometimes anti-elite and populist positions, quickly emerged as a potential partner. But the discussions were unsuccessful. In a letter addressed to the negotiator responsible for exploring possible agreements, NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt dashed any hope of an agreement with Geert Wilders’ PVV.

“The NSC group sees no basis for entering into discussions with the PVV on a majority or minority government.” And to specify that the PVV’s profession of faith “contains positions which in our opinion are contrary to the Constitution”. In addition, the Ukrainian question, the possibility of leaving the European Union and the tax policy advocated by Geert Wilders constitute “obstacles” which are enough to “draw a red line” between the two parties.

It must be said that the manifesto mentioned by Pieter Omtzigt advocates a ban on mosques, the Koran and the wearing of headscarves by Muslim women, as well as the organization of a referendum on the Netherlands’ exit from the European Union, titled “Nexit”.

Nicknamed the “Dutch Trump”, and often compared to Jair Bolsonaro or Boris Johnson, the PVV leader managed to smooth out his image during the electoral campaign. By displaying more moderate ideological positions. On the evening of his victory, he notably declared that he was “the Prime Minister of all the Dutch”. This, without distinction of origin or religion.

But within the Dutch political class, many remain cautious. Unconvinced of the sincerity of this refocusing carried out by the one who established a parallel between Mein Kampf and the Koran a few years earlier. “We note that Mr Wilders said he wanted to put the questioned parts of his manifesto ‘in the fridge’. But what he means by this is not clear. What is the status of the PVV manifesto at the moment? “, asked the NSC in particular.

For its part, the party of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), has already ruled out sitting in a government led by the populist leader. This, although she said she was ready to support a “center-right coalition”.

But to date, most analysts have serious doubts about the PVV’s ability to form a government before mid-2024. Especially since the negotiator charged by Geert Wilders with leading the talks resigned this Monday, October 27. Note that it took 271 days to form that of Mark Rutte after the 2021 elections. Suffice it to say that the “Dutch Trump” is not at the end of his troubles.