The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Far-right leader favourite as Dutch polls start
NETHERLANDS GOES TO VOTE ON MARCH 15
CAMPAIGNING FOR the Dutch election began on Wednesday with anti-islam leader Geert Wilders frontrunner in a vote that will test the anti-establishment sentiment that swept Britain out of the EU and Donald Trump into the US presidency.
Wilders, a eurosceptic, antiimmigration fan of Trump, has dubbed the March 15 parliamentary election the start of a “Patriotic Spring” in Europe, where France and Germany go to polls in May and September.
Wilders and his Party for Freedom has led in opinion polls for most of the past two years, but the fragmented political landscape means a coalition government is all but inevitable.
His main rival, PM Mark Rutte of the conservative VVD Party, is banking on a strengthening economic recovery to restore popularity lost during the austerity years of 2012-2014.
Wilders’ party is expected to get 20 per cent of the popular vote, compared to Rutte’s 16 per cent. A simple majority is generally sought to govern, but all but one party have ruled out sharing power with Wilders, whose policies are widely seen as offensive and at times unconstitutional.
“The overwhelming majority of Dutchmen basically do not vote for (Wilders),” said Kristof Jacobs, a teacher at Radbout University in Nijmegen.
So a victory for Wilders is unlikely to lead to the Netherlands leaving the EU, closing the border to Muslim immigrants or reinstating the Dutch currency, policies only his party endorses.
In December, Wilders was convicted of inciting discrimination for leading supporters in a chant that they wanted “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!” Moroccans.
If Wilders’ PVV finishes first but is unable to form a government, Rutte will be left trying to forge a coalition with parties that share little more than opposition to Wilders. In that case “we will stay put and manage the country until there is a new coalition,” Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem said Tuesday. REUTERS