Dutch polls a key test for far- right

Rising populism ‘ unlikely to cast shadow’ on China- EU ties

The Dutch legislative elections on Wednesday will pose a litmus test for populist parties in Europe this year, experts said, with all eyes set on the far- right politician Geert Wilders, who is campaigning for more seats for his party in the Dutch parliament.

A total of 28 parties are competing for the 150 seats in the Dutch lower house of parliament, the AFP reported. Exit polls’ results are expected shortly after the polls close at 8 pm local time on Wednesday.

As the leader of the Liberal VVD party, Prime Minister Mark Rutte is bidding for a third term as premier.

Wilders’ Freedom Party ( PVV) is not likely to win the majority, but it aims to gain more seats in the parliament than ever, which will be a “vane” for the upcoming elections in Europe, especially in France, where the far- right parties are expected to win, Wu Yikang, director of the European Studies Center at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The PVV, which has gained popularity due to the open and tolerant political culture of Netherlands, is believed to be a forceful voice in this year’s election, even though it might find it difficult to build a coalition due to political differences among parties, said Cui Hongjian, director of the China Institute of International Studies’ Department of European Studies.

Being the first to go to polls before presidential elections in France in April and legislative polls in Germany in September, the Dutch election will influence the performance of the far- right parties in the rest of Europe, Cui told the Global Times.

“The rise of far- right parties will definitely shake the European politics, a situation China wouldn’t particularly like,” Wu said, explaining that China always supports European integration.

Since there are no radical statements targeted at China from these far- right forces who are anti- immigration and antiintegration, their rise is not expected to cast a shadow over the bilateral relations between China and Europe or the Netherlands, Wu noted.

Chinese immigrants, however, would face social pres- sure, such as difficulties in access to education or employment, Cui said. There are more than 190,000 Chinese living in the Netherlands, data from the Report of World Overseas Chinese Situation in 2013 shows.

China probably will also suffer from a deep division in European politics as it may affect China’s existing or planned cooperation agreements with the European nations, so China needs to prepare for potential risks when devising future agreements, Cui noted. “However, China must not blindly ignore the far- right while supporting the mainstream political parties.”

The official result is expected to be announced on Tuesday by the elections commission while the new parliament will be installed on March 23, AFP said.