After the great electoral victory of right-wing populist Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, the right-wing liberal VVD party, which is still in power, ruled out the possibility of returning to the government.
Given the huge losses, the VVD will not return to a coalition, party leader Dilan Yesilgöz said in The Hague today. However, the VVD is prepared to tolerate a possible Wilders minority government.
Today in The Hague, all group leaders will discuss with the president of parliament how to proceed following the election results. Now it’s election winner Wilders’ turn to nominate an explorer. He has to check which parties can form a coalition with a majority. Wilders needs at least two parties to gain a majority, and that includes the VVD.
Wilders’ right-wing Party for Freedom (PVV) won 37 of the 150 seats in parliament. Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s VVD, on the other hand, won just 24 mandates, a loss of ten. It is still behind the red-green alliance with 25 mandates. Yesilgöz did not rule out working with Wilders during the election campaign.
Demonstrations in Amsterdam and Utrecht
Meanwhile, hundreds of people demonstrated in several cities across the country against discrimination, racism and Islamophobia. In Amsterdam, according to media reports, a few hundred people had already gathered last night at the Dam, the central square in the city center. They warned against hatred of Islam and xenophobia.
According to media reports, around a thousand people also gathered at Utrecht City Hall. Social organizations called for a large demonstration in Amsterdam today.