How did you receive the election results? Were you surprised?
Yes, I stayed. In principle, I trust the polls in the Netherlands, which are generally quite accurate and have largely failed in the PVV outcome (and, to a lesser extent, in the VVD). I knew Wilders had the momentum heading into the election, helped by the focus on his fitness to govern, but this was well outside the margin of error. But I think two decades of integration and normalization have finally paid off for him.
What does this victory of the radical right mean for the future of the Netherlands? And for Europe, given the weight of the Netherlands on the European stage?
In the short term, I fear a government led by the extreme right, only the second in post-war Western European history (after that of Giorgia Meloni in Italy). In the medium to long term, I think that parts of Dutch society, including the media and politicians, will finally seriously tackle the problem of the extreme right in the country. After decades of complacency and integration, I hope that it becomes painfully clear that the extreme right is not a side issue and cannot simply be controlled by (former) mainstream politics. Internationally, the Netherlands is losing Mark Rutte, who was the longest-serving ‘democratically’ elected leader in the EU and helped the country play a role bigger than its size in Brussels. At the same time, with Rutte, the Netherlands was far from a driving force in European integration. He was primarily a Eurosceptic in rhetoric, which he then almost always followed in practice. The next Dutch government, especially if it is led by the PVV, will not only bark, but also bite. That said, in terms of international politics, from the EU to Ukraine, it will reflect more the skeptical policies of the coalition partners than the radical policies of the PVV.
Do you believe that Geert Wilders will become prime minister or be part of the next government?
Yesterday [anteontem] I would say no. But given the initial reactions of the leaders of potential coalition partners, NSC and VVD (and, to a lesser extent, BBB), I think a coalition government led by Wilders is now the most likely scenario. Negotiations will certainly take some time, and I assume that Wilders will have difficulty finding suitable candidates for the (many) PVV positions, as it is truly a one-man party.
Source: DN
