Netherlands: Far-Right 'Party for Freedom' Wins Elections

On Wednesday, Geert Wilders' Party for Freedom (PVV) emerged victorious from the 2023 Dutch parliamentary elections, according to a first exit poll cited by broadcaster NOS.

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"The biggest party! The voter has spoken. The Dutch people want their country back. The Dutch people will be number one again," Wilders said in his victory speech.

His ultranationalist party promotes harsh anti-immigration policies, including administrative detention, cultural assimilation, the banning of the Koran, and the closure of mosques.

This party, which also embraces a Eurosceptic ideology and strongly advocates withdrawal from the European Union, is on a predicted 35 of the 150 seats in the Lower House. The Green Left-Labor alliance led by Frans Timmermans is second on a predicted 26 seats.

The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), which won the previous four elections with outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, is forecast to end up with 23 seats. The New Social Contract (NSC) led by Pieter Omtzigt ranked the fourth with 20 seats.

If confirmed, the PVV, founded in 2006, is set to become the biggest party in the Netherlands. The result came unexpected as the latest polls predicted a close match between the PVV, the VVD and Green Left-Labor alliance.

In the previous elections held in 2021, Rutte's VVD won with 34 seats, before the Democrats 66 (D66) that won 24 seats and the PVV with 17 seats. Rob Jetten's D66 is now predicted to get 10 seats.

The farmers' movement BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) and the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) will get seven and five seats respectively. The official results of the 2023 Dutch parliamentary elections are expected to be announced on December 1.