In an update since this article was written, voters turned out in record numbers, and rewarded right and center-right parties that had co-opted parts of Geert Wilders’s message, the NY Times reported.
Mr. Wilders noted that his party had gained seats. “Rutte has not seen the last of me yet!” he wrote on Twitter.
There were a total of 28 parties running and 13 are likely to have positions in the 150-seat lower house of Parliament.
Mr. Rutte’s party lost seats, even as it came out on top, and will need to join forces with several others in order to wield power. Virtually all parties said they would not work with Mr. Wilders in a coalition.
ORIGINAL STORY
There is a massive turnout at the polls in the Netherlands Wednesday with up to 13 million people voting in the face-off between Geert Wilders and the current Prime Minister Mark Rutte. They had to add polling booths.
It’s likely Wilders’ party will double their seats in the Parliament. The party is not looking to form an alliance and will remain oppositional.
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It’s unlikely Wilders can become Prime Minister because of a requirement that one can only become Prime Minister with an absolute majority in Parliament, something which hasn’t been done in 100 years.
However, the outcome is not predictable because 30% of the electorate was uncertain going into the polls. Still the Wilders party is not likely to win a majority in Parliament according to polls. He’d have to win most of the 30% and it’s not likely because he is in competition with several other parties.
No matter which way it goes, the anti-radical Islam and anti-EU sentiment will be measured.
Nothing describes what’s at stake more than this polling place with Turkish flags flying.
“Imagine my shock” https://t.co/mHcanHQxIW
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) March 15, 2017
Mr. Wilders is the leader of the anti-radical Islamist Party for Freedom (PVV), he is a complete outsider, and Mr. Rutte leads the Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).
Some districts are showing a 100% turnout in this very close election.
Final exit polling shows the turnout at over 80%.
Netherlands: Turnout today to surpass 80%, maybe even 85% (2012: 74.6%). Media reports some station have run out of ballots. #DutchElection pic.twitter.com/oBoJ1o056S
— Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) March 15, 2017
Wilders has pledged to shut the country’s borders, has compared the Koran to Mein Kampf and wants to close mosques. The media misquotes him and calls him and European leaders like him “anti-immigrant” but they’re actually anti-mass migration and pro-assimilation.
The Turks in the Netherlands have recently rioted/protested against the government’s rejection — for national security reasons — of two ministers sent by Turkish President Erdoğan. The ministers were banned from addressing Dutch Turks and sent home.
That incident by Turks in Rotterdam and Amsterdam over the course of two days overshadowed the last days in the run up to the election though media reports it hurt Wilders lead.
Allegedly it helped Rutte because of the way he handled it as Wilders tweeted.
André Krouwel, a political scientist at Amsterdam’s Free University, said “’Rutte was able to show he could actually expel Turks, and to tell Wilders: ‘You’re just sitting there, tweeting’ … This has won Rutte the election.’”
There are 400,000 Turks in the Netherlands and many referred to themselves as Turks not Dutch during the rioting and protesting.
Wilders is a little to the right of Donald Trump but similar in many ways, as is Marine LePen in France. She has risen to the top of the polls despite a very oppositional media. Both Wilders and LePen are anti-EU and hope to restore sovereignty to their countries.
France, Opinion Way poll:
Le Pen (FN-ENF): 27%
Macron (EM-*): 25% ↑
Fillon (LR-EPP): 19% ↓
Hamon (PS-S&D): 13% ↓… https://t.co/gwKdRvGyWn— Europe Elects (@EuropeElects) March 15, 2017
