Wednesday’s general election in The Netherlands was the most significant I’ve seen since I began covering Europe in 2006. In previous elections there was never any chance that Geert Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV), would hold a cabinet office. This time, however, the PVV won massively, and there is a distinct possibility that the PVV may form a government.

Mind you, the announcement by Dilan Yesilgöz (what a typical Dutch name!) that the VVD (the party of Mark Rutte, the outgoing prime minister) would not be part of the new cabinet will make it difficult for Mr. Wilders to form a government. Difficult, but not impossible.

Below are two pieces from the Dutch media, both translated by Gary Fouse, that analyze the results and assess their significance.

The first article is from RTL Nieuws:

Moderate Wilders still controversial, but PVV government not ruled out

by Pieter Munnik and Arne Hankel
November 23, 2023

The Party for Freedom (PVV) was the big winner in the Tweede Kamer elections with 37 seats. To date, the party has always remained outside the cabinet. But this campaign saw a more moderate Geert Wilders. What does that mean? This time will the PVV join the government, and who will be the possible cabinet ministers? We lay it out.

1. How has the PVV grown into the largest party?

The Rutte IV cabinet fell over migration. Migration subsequently became one of the most important themes of this election campaign. It is a theme that the PVV, much more than the VVD (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy), “owns”. Voters associate the PVV with that theme.

In addition, the VVD, according to the voters, has not delivered on that topic in recent cabinets.

Moreover, a vote for the PVV this time was not thrown away because the VVD said it was ready to work together in a cabinet. In the past years, the VVD excluded the PVV.

2. What makes the PVV controversial?

The PVV is controversial from the standpoint of its position on migration and Islam. Its election platform states: “Our beautiful Netherlands has seriously deteriorated through the ongoing asylum tsunami and mass immigration.”

And: “The Netherlands is not an Islamic country. No Islamic schools, Korans, and mosques.” A position that is contrary to the Constitution.

Other controversial positions include, among others, the plan to leave the UN Refugee Convention, no more money to the NPO [Dutch Public Broadcasting], and the abolition of the Eerste Kamer [Senate]. The party wants to immediately abolish all development aid. Wilders also wants a binding referendum on leaving the EU, and he wants all apologies for past slavery and police actions to be withdrawn.

In addition, the party is against Dutch support for Ukraine in the war against Russia. He called the Tweede Kamer a fake parliament and Sigrid Kaag a witch. Wilders also considers journalists — with some exceptions — scum.

3. Is Wilders now more moderate?

He speaks more moderately. In the campaign, Wilders said that he wanted to be a prime minister of all Dutch people, “no matter where you come from and what your belief is.”The PVV leader also said that his party will operate within the framework of the Constitution.

Wilders also said he is willing to put some key points of the party, so to speak, “on hold”. That would mean, among others, the ban on Islamic education and the Koran.

But the controversial points are still found in the party’s platform.

4. How great is the chance that Wilders will join the government?

The chance certainly exists. Although VVD and NSC (New Social Contract) let it be known before the elections that this would not happen any time soon, they did not repeat that after the polls. Pieter Omtzigt from NSC emphasized that his new party is available for the national government.

On the question about cooperation with the PVV, Omtzigt said that his faction is meeting for the first time this afternoon. “Then we will talk about how we can proceed from here. But we see the need for good governance.”

VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz kept her silence after the exit polls became known. This afternoon, she said after a faction meeting that the initiative to form a cabinet now lies with the “big winners” of the election, the PVV and NSC. While she had earlier said she was unwilling to join a cabinet with “Premier Wilders”, she is now talking of a “new reality”. She still provides no clarity on whether she is now willing to govern with him. She wants to let the results sink in.

5. What government candidates does the PVV have?

According to Wilders, Fleur Agema would be an outstanding minister of health. “I am itching to do it, naturally,” said Agema herself. “It would be fantastic. My heart skips a beat over the idea, but you never know if it will be granted.”

Martin Bosma could become state secretary for media affairs, but he would rather be chairman of the Tweede Kamer. Dion Graus, according to Wilders himself, would be a good secretary of state for animal welfare.

Then — PVV chamber member Lilian Helder was praised for her knowledge of the field of justice. But she bet on the wrong horse by moving to the BBB [Farmer-Citizen Movement party]. PVV member Harm Beertema was seen as a strong, substantive chamber member in the field of education.

On the PVV electoral list, there are 13 former members of the Tweede Kamer. There are also municipal and provincial council members and PVV policy workers in the Tweede Kamer.

Last night, Martin Bosma admitted that he doesn’t know everyone. “Certainly, they meet all the requirements, but I don’t know who they are. Tomorrow, there will be 37 of us in a faction room; that is totally crazy. But who all them will be I have no idea.”

6. Could there also be a new cabinet without PVV?

Yes, that could happen. Although it is illogical that the largest party is not part of a new cabinet, it could happen. A so-called “Victory-defeat” for Wilders is also a possibility. Because VVD, Green-Left, PvdA [Labour], NSC, and D66 combined have 78 seats.

It happened previously that the winner of the election did not govern. In 1986, the PvdA won, but the cabinet that emerged was CDA [Christian-Democrat Appeal] and VVD.

The second piece is an editorial from De Dagelijkse Standaard:

Movie! Crazy left extremists demonstrate against election results: “And from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”

Yesterday evening, opponents of the PVV took to the street to demonstrate against the election results. They think it’s terrible that Geert Wilders’ party has won the elections. And so they demand that “something” be done. They carried Palestine flags and chanted over and over, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” Ironic because just that sort of demonstration made a large contribution to Wilders’ historical election victory.

This sort of image is why countless Dutch people (two million or so?) voted for Geert Wilders in last Tuesday’s elections. What you see there are radical demonstrators-foreigners and natives — who took to the street to demonstrate against the PVV, against the democratic judgment of the voters… while they also chanted slogans that, according to many Dutch people, mean that they are supporters of a new genocide of Jews, this time in Israel itself.

How retarded can you be? How totally insane? Not only because you think what happens abroad seems more important than what happens in the Netherlands (where are the Dutch flags, you bunch of self-haters?), but also because what they literally do and shout is precisely the cause of Wilders’ rise. They thus ensure that he doesn’t become smaller. No, he just becomes more popular. Because the Dutch people are completely fed up with this sort of craziness.

This was also illustrated by the opinion of Maartje Steunenberg, who writes on X: “I’m embarrassed by the community where I live! A call for the destruction of Jews. Next to the Jewish monument in Alkmaar.” Because, yes, they went there en masse on the street and with a large number of Palestinian flags.

Woke

And no, last night it wasn’t only Palestine demonstrators who demonstrated against Wilders. From other images recorded in Utrecht, it turns out that many creamy-white Woke-crazies took to the street. These total idiots stood proudly waving rainbow flags and chanted, “Solidarity, solidarity, solidarity!” with each other.

Solidarity? With whom? The last 13 years there has been a lot of solidarity with all kinds of fortune-seekers from far and wide, but for the Dutch themselves there has been absolutely no solidarity. The Dutch have suffered en masse. Our groceries have become unaffordable. We cannot find housing. We must look on while entire neighborhoods and towns change into Little Arabias.

At the Dagelijkse Standaard, we know that the last elections were the most important elections ever. We are fighting for a good continuation. The Netherlands must be saved. If we don’t push through now, it will go wrong forever. Do you also think so? Support us then! Donate to DDS and help us make a stand against the leftist crazies who want to push our country farther into the abyss!

So these sorts of left-wing weirdos take to the street with rainbow flags et al and demand that the democratic election result be overturned. Because they want to be Woke, and feel threatened by Dutch people who think that adults should be able to do what they want as long as they leave the children alone.

The Palestinian demonstrators and the Woke-crazies together have made Wilders big… and now they are ensuring that still more Dutch people will throw their heads back. If they think that with these kinds of demonstrations, they will make sure that the PVV is kept out of the government, they are seriously mistaken.

Key to Dutch parties: