Category Archives: Geert Wilders

Liberal-progressive party D66 wins election, Dutch media report

Posted on by

Party will take lead in first round of talks to form coalition government after securing most votes

The Dutch liberal-progressive party D66 won the most votes in Wednesday’s general election, the news agency ANP has reported, putting its 38-year-old leader, Rob Jetten, on course to become the youngest prime minister in the Netherlands.

While the last few thousand votes are still being counted, Dutch media reported on Friday that Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration, anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) could no longer win.

Continue reading...

Geert Wilders faces shutout as centrists hail huge gains in knife-edge Dutch election

Posted on by

Far right neck and neck with liberal D66 but all major mainstream parties have ruled out working with anti-Islam firebrand

Geert Wilders is almost certain to be shut out of the next Dutch government after a knife-edge general election in which support for his far-right Freedom party (PVV) slumped and the liberal-progressive D66 party made spectacular gains.

With 99.7% of ballots counted, the two parties were neck and neck on a projected 26 seats each in the 150-seat parliament, with D66 an estimated 15,000 votes ahead after the capital, Amsterdam, declared preliminary results on Thursday.

Continue reading...

Rob Jetten: anti-Wilders, ‘yes we can’ candidate poised to be next Dutch PM

Posted on by

As liberal-progressive D66 party makes huge gains in election, former junior athlete with ‘positive story’ and ‘vision’ leads race for power

Rob Jetten, a former junior athlete, was pictured last month in a sports magazine running merrily past the Dutch prime ministerial office in The Hague. The 38-year-old could be forgiven on Thursday for wondering when he will get the keys.

Such is the nature of Dutch politics that confirmation will not come for weeks or even months. But after a general election in which Jetten’s liberal-progressive D66 party made huge gains, he appears almost certain to be the Netherlands’ next prime minister.

Continue reading...

Europe’s far-right leaders attack ‘hate-mongering left’ after Charlie Kirk murder

Posted on by

Viktor Orbán claims death of Turning Point USA’s founder was ‘result of international hate campaign’ as prominent figures pay tribute

European far-right leaders have lauded Charlie Kirk, the influential 31-year-old conservative US activist who was fatally shot on Wednesday, with several also claiming his death was a consequence of violent leftwing rhetoric.

The European parliament briefly descended into chaos as far-right MEPs demanded a minute’s silence to honour Kirk, a rising star of Trump’s Maga movement, who was hit in the neck by a single bullet as he addressed students at Utah Valley University.

Continue reading...

Thursday briefing: How Geert Wilders’ exit from Dutch coalition might set up his own comeback

Posted on by

In today’s newsletter: The Dutch government collapsed after Wilders pulled out of the coalition – leaving renewed political uncertainty as parties scramble to redefine their positions

Good morning. The Dutch government dramatically collapsed on Tuesday after far-right politician Geert Wilders pulled out of the coalition, citing his frustration over immigration and asylum policy.

Shortly afterwards the prime minister, Dick Schoof, handed in his resignation to King Willem-Alexander. Fresh elections are expected in October. Until then ministers will remain in place in a caretaker capacity.

US news | Donald Trump has signed a sweeping order banning travel from 12 countries and restricting travel from seven others, reviving and expanding the travel bans from his first term. Security concerns and visa overstays, the US president said, justified the move.

Fuel poverty | Bereaved families of tens of thousands of dead pensioners could be pursued by tax officials to recoup winter fuel payments under a new system being explored by the Treasury, the Guardian has learned.

Israel-Gaza war | The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has detailed the harrowing account of one of its paramedics, Asaad al-Nasasra, 47, who told the organisation he heard Israeli troops shoot first responders. The attack on a convoy of emergency vehicles killed 15 others.

UK economy | Keir Starmer has said he hopes a trade deal struck last month with the US can come into effect “in just a couple of weeks”, as the White House has signalled that the UK will be spared the 50% steel and aluminium tariffs that came into force on Wednesday.

Global health | A cure for HIV may be closer after researchers discovered a new way to force the virus out of hiding in human cells. This “overwhelming” breakthrough could help overcome one of the biggest obstacles to a cure: the virus’s ability to lie dormant in certain white blood cells.

Continue reading...

Dutch government collapses as far-right leader pulls party out of coalition

Posted on by

Coalition leaders call decision by Geert Wilders to withdraw from alliance over immigration policy ‘irresponsible’

The Dutch government has collapsed after the far-right leader Geert Wilders pulled his party out of the ruling coalition in a row over immigration and asylum policy.

The prime minister, Dick Schoof, on Tuesday handed in his resignation and that of his 11-month-old cabinet to King Willem-Alexander. Remaining ministers will stay on in a caretaker capacity until new elections, most likely in October.

Continue reading...

‘This will backfire’: Le Pen allies hit out at Paris court’s 2027 election ban verdict

Posted on by

Elon Musk attacks decision along with other figures from the right including Viktor Orbán and Geert Wilders

Nationalist and populist figures around the world, from Elon Musk to Viktor Orbán, have united in condemnation of a Paris court verdict barring Marine Le Pen from running in the country’s 2027 presidential elections.

In a bombshell ruling many believe could boost support for the party, the figurehead of France’s far-right National Rally (RN) was sentenced on Monday to four years’ imprisonment – half suspended – and banned from running for public office for five years, for embezzlement of European parliament funds.

Continue reading...

Trump’s polarising appeal leaves European populists in a tight spot

Posted on by

Nationalist parties have tended to praise the US president’s politics, but many voters dislike his treatment of Ukraine

Europe’s rightwing populist parties are split over how far to distance themselves from Donald Trump’s pressure on Ukraine, with some fearing unflinching solidarity with the US president’s brand of nationalism will damage their efforts to widen their domestic support.

Broadly, unease over Trump’s treatment of Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the ominous encroach of authoritarianism by the new US administration, is strongest among the populist parties in western Europe and some Nordic countries.

Continue reading...

‘Vicious cycle’: how far-right parties across Europe are cannibalising the centre right

Posted on by

Hardline agendas, especially on immigration, are copied by mainstream conservatives in vain effort to win back votes - but it’s not working

Far-right parties could become the largest force on the right in Europe within a decade, experts have said, as mainstream conservative parties look to copy their hardline agendas, especially on immigration, in a vain effort to win back votes.

Germany’s conservatives last week sparked fury when their leader, Friedrich Merz, the country’s likely next chancellor, broke a longstanding pledge by relying on far-right votes to adopt a non-binding motion urging a drastic immigration crackdown. The leader of Alternative für Deutschland, Alice Weidel, hailed “a historic day for Germany” as the Bundestag, for the first time in its history, passed a vote with the backing of her party, which is second in the polls weeks before this month’s elections.

Continue reading...

Orbán, Zelenskyy, Macron and European leaders respond to Trump’s win

Posted on by

Public congratulations but private foreboding as heads of state, ministers and diplomats express hopes for cooperation and peace

Western leaders raced to respond to the return of Donald Trump to the White House with a powerful mandate to put his policy of “America first” into action once again. But many of the public congratulations could do little to disguise the private foreboding of what the next four years will augur for European security, populism and the world economy.

Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister and the European leader closest to Trump, was one of the first to hail his ally’s victory. He posted on social media: “The biggest comeback in US political history! Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on his enormous win. A much-needed victory for the world!”

Continue reading...

Dutch government led by far-right PVV asks EU for opt-out from asylum rules

Posted on by

Move by coalition headed by Geert Wilders’ Freedom party is unlikely to get a positive reception in Brussels

The new Dutch coalition government headed by Geert Wilders’ far-right Freedom party (PVV) appears to be on a collision course with the EU over immigration after formally asking Brussels for an opt-out on asylum rules.

“I have just informed the European Commission that I want an ‘opt-out’ on migration matters in Europe for the Netherlands,” the asylum and migration minister Marjolein Faber, a member of the PVV, said on X on Wednesday.

Continue reading...

‘Mostly, they don’t vote’: Dutch far-right support in European elections depends on turnout

Posted on by

Geert Wilders’ PVV party is predicted to go from one seat to eight in European parliament nonetheless

Elections to the world’s only transnational assembly get under way in earnest on Thursday as Dutch voters go to the polls in a four-day, 27-country ballot that will return 720 MEPs to the next European parliament.

The results of the elections, which will shape the makeup of the next European Commission and could have a major impact on the bloc’s political direction in key areas including immigration and climate action, are expected on Sunday evening.

Continue reading...

Far-right Geert Wilders agrees deal for Dutch coalition government

Posted on by

Wilders will not become next Dutch PM in experimental ‘business government’ arrangement

The Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders has agreed the basis of his first rightwing coalition government in the Netherlands.

Six months after his shock win of a quarter of parliamentary seats, his anti-Islam, anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV) will take the lead in an uneasy four-party coalition.

Continue reading...

Far-right EU election gains could boost nationalist parties on home turf

Posted on by

Polls indicate a surge for the right across the continent in next month’s ballots but the centrists are still likely to hold sway in parliament

Far-right gains in next month’s European elections will be hard, if not impossible, to parlay into more power in parliament, experts say, but they could boost nationalist parties in EU capitals – with potentially greater consequences.

Polling suggests far-right and hardline conservative parties could finish first in nine EU states, including Austria, France and the Netherlands, in the polls between 6 and 9 June, and second or third in another nine, including Germany, Spain, Portugal and Sweden.

Continue reading...

Formation of Dutch government advances as far-right Wilders admits he can’t be PM

Posted on by

Four parties have agreed to pursue ‘extra-parliamentary’ cabinet, says mediator overseeing tense coalition talks

Dutch coalition talks will move on from exploratory discussions to more concrete negotiations aimed at forming a largely technocratic government, after the far-right leader Geert Wilders accepted he could not be prime minister.

Four months after Wilders’ anti-Islam Freedom party (PVV) became the largest in parliament, Kim Putters, the former socialist senator overseeing the talks, said they would continue based on a cabinet of political veterans and outside experts.

Continue reading...

Geert Wilders gives up hope of being Dutch PM due to lack of support

Posted on by

Leader of far-right Freedom party, which came first in election last year, was unable to get all partners in a potential coalition onboard

Geert Wilders, whose far-right Freedom party (PVV) shocked the Netherlands by finishing first in elections late last year, has conceded that he will not be the next prime minister because his potential coalition partners do not back him.

“I can only become the prime minister if all the parties in the coalition support it. That was not the case,” Wilders said on X late on Wednesday. “Love for my country and voters is bigger and more important than my own position.”

Continue reading...

Dutch ministers trying to stop tech firm ASML moving abroad over foreign labour fears

Posted on by

Prime minister will reportedly meet CEO of semiconductor equipment maker ASML, which has warned against anti-migrant stance

The Dutch government is scrambling to ensure that the country’s largest company, the semiconductor equipment maker ASML, does not move operations or expand abroad after the tech firm voiced concerns over the country’s hardening stance on migrants.

On Wednesday, the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that the Dutch government had launched a cross-ministry effort, dubbed “Operation Beethoven”, to encourage ASML to continue to invest in the country.

Continue reading...

Geert Wilders’ hopes of becoming Dutch PM dim after centrist party quits talks

Posted on by

NSC’s Pieter Omtzigt said to be shocked by public finances as he abandons talks to form coalition under far-right leader

Geert Wilders’ chances of forming a majority government in the Netherlands have been dealt a heavy blow after one of the far-right leader’s three potential partners abruptly withdrew from coalition talks citing concerns over public finances.

Wilders, whose Freedom party (PVV) shocked Europe by finishing first in elections last November, said on X he was “unbelievably disappointed” by the decision of New Social Contract (NSC) to declare it was “finished” with the current round of talks.

Continue reading...

‘It was heartbreaking’: Muslim mayor comes to terms with Dutch election result

Posted on by

Ahmed Marcouch, directly targeted by Geert Wilders during his career, grapples with how best to heal country’s wounds

Soon after news broke that the populist Geert Wilders and his anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV) had won the most votes of any party in the Dutch elections, Ahmed Marcouch found himself comforting his distraught eight-year-old.

Earlier in the day, a teacher at his son’s school had explained the election results, discussing the wide differences between parties. Now Marcouch’s son was terrified that the family would have to leave the country.

Continue reading...

Geert Wilders wants former minister as new ‘scout’, reports say, after first one resigns over fraud claims – as it happened

Posted on by

Gom van Strien’s planned talks with party leaders have been cancelled after he stepped down. This live blog is closed

Irish police are expected to make sweeping arrests of suspected ringleaders of Thursday’s riot in Dublin and to obtain wider rights to use facial recognition technology to help identify suspects in any future disorder.

The moves come amid mounting pressure on the government and police chiefs over the violence on 24 November when an estimated 500 anti-immigrant activists and gangs of young people looted shops, burned vehicles and attacked officers, leaving swathes of Ireland’s capital resembling a war zone.

Continue reading...