The fact that a far-right politician who peddles offensive anti-migrant and anti-Muslim views and bears more than a passing resemblance to Donald Trump has triumphed in the Dutch general election is dismaying, to put it mildly. But too much is being read into the less than overwhelming success of Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) in last week’s polls. Nor, on this showing, is Europe about to succumb to a far-right takeover.
For a start, Wilders’ victory is hugely qualified. While his party won 37 seats, more than double its 2021 total, this represents only a fraction of the 150-seat Dutch parliament. As has typically been the case in other European countries where the populist-nationalist far right has done well in recent years, the vast majority of voters did not support the PVV. Disowned by the outgoing prime minister, Mark Rutte, and his party, Wilders faces an uphill struggle to become the Netherlands’ next leader.
