Dutch voters selected the Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders as its largest party in parliament following general elections this week. The news came just days after Argentina elected libertarian populist Javier Milei as its new president.
It was not clear immediately following the election whether or not Wilders would become the country’s new prime minister. Despite having the largest party in parliament, he would have to craft a bloc with other parties in order to effectively govern. However, considering the success of other right-of-center parties, there is a chance that Wilders will become the next leader of the country.
Wilders himself said that the win was a “mega victory.” He further said that other right-of-center parties should “step over their own shadows” to work with him.
Wilders received international attention over the last two decades as the leader of a party skeptical of mass migration. In particular, he pointed to high rates of crime committed by the children of immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East.
The PVV’s victory came after a large-scale protest by Dutch farmers against government mandates that would have curtailed their ability to farm.
This man is on track to become the next PM of the Netherlands after his landslide today.
Geert Wilders is not afraid to call out the dangers of mass immigration and multiculturalism.
Listen to him here. He gives zero f-cks. pic.twitter.com/YH5MjdT4oE
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) November 23, 2023
The Dutch government attempted to limit nitrogen emissions, including reducing the size of farm output. As a result, Dutch farmers rode tractors onto major roads to have their concerns heard.
The Netherlands has a large agricultural sector despite the country’s small size.
Following the wide-reaching protests, a similar populist party won a number of local elections, which also determined the control over the Dutch Senate. The Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) won the most seats in the provincial elections, earning more than double the seats of the next-largest party.
In those elections earlier this year, the PVV also had a respectable showing, a possible foretelling of the more significant general election held this week.
In the general election, the BBB’s share in parliament grew significantly. Prior to the election it had just one seat in the parliament but will now have seven seats following the election.
