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You are here: Home News Dutch News Wilders is biggest winner in Dutch EU election

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05/06/2009Wilders is biggest winner in Dutch EU election

Provisional results show Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party won four out of 25 seats in it first-ever campaign.

The Hague – Dutch far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders' Freedom Party appears to be the biggest winner in European voting in the Netherlands, taking 16.9 percent of the ballot and four seats in its first-ever campaign, exit polls showed Friday.

The rise of Wilders – who has described the Koran as fascist, receives 24-hour protection following death threats, faces a hate speech trial at home and has been barred from entering Britain – came at the expense of governing coalition partners.

The anti-Islamisation standard-bearer's PVV party was second only to Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende's Christian Democrats (CDA), which dropped nearly five percentage points to 20 percent and lost two of its seven European parliament seats.

The CDA's governing coalition partner, the labour PvdA, was the biggest loser -- taking 12.2 percent compared with 23.6 percent in 2004 and down four seats to three, according to 92.1 percent of votes counted.

The third party in the government coalition, Christian Union, was at 6.9 percent of the vote, up from 5.9 percent in 2004, and projected to take two seats.

The conservative VVD party and D66 both took three seats. The Green Left and Socialist Party won two seats each.

"This is a fantastic result," Wilders told national television. "Many people clearly yearn for a different Netherlands and have had enough of this big Europe.

"This is but the beginning, we will only get bigger. I hope we will do even better in national elections and that we become the biggest party in the Netherlands."

Wilders said four out of 25 Dutch seats in the 27-nation, 736-seat parliament would be the equivalent of one in six in the Dutch chamber.

Asked if he could see himself governing in partnership with Wilders, Balkenende, who offered his congratulations, said simply: "This was about Europe. We will judge on the coalition when national elections are held (in 2011), not now."

Labour PvdA leader Bos added that "the parties that lost the most were those who supported Europe... who defended Europe against a lot of scepticism. It appears that the voters found that unconvincing."

Wilders had stressed he would not take up a seat, having put forward a relative unknown, Barry Madlener, to head his party's candidate list.

The PVV opposes the European parliament's very existence, with Wilders having told a newspaper the party was taking part to "bring it down from the inside".

Exit polls showed a voter turnout of 36.5 percent, down from 39.1 percent in the last election in 2004.

The Netherlands, with nearly 13 million registered voters, and Britain were the first countries to vote in polls being held across the bloc until Sunday.

Wilders' party gained nine seats in the Dutch parliament in 2006, compared to 41 for the CDA, but opinion polls have predicted closer to 30 seats for both parties were elections to be held now.

The PVV entered the EU parliament campaign on the ticket "More Netherlands, less Europe," and also opposes the entry of Turkey into the 27-nation bloc.

Wilders has stated that "Islam is the Netherlands' biggest problem," campaigning for a total ban of the burka and of the Koran, which he has compared to Hitler's "Mein Kampf".

He seeks a halt to immigration from Muslim countries and the construction of mosques in the Netherlands.

Wilders has said he wants the EU elections to serve as a sort of referendum of Dutch support for the continental bloc.

Sixty-two percent of the Dutch electorate voted "no" in a 2005 referendum on a pre-Lisbon Treaty European Union constitution also rejected by France.

The official result from the Netherlands will only be announced on Sunday evening.

AFP / Expatica

Click Right on the Rise! to see fellow readers’ comments on the outcome of Dutch EU election.

 


4 reactions to this article

Khalid Ahmed Chaudry posted: 2009-06-10 12:41:05

Of course its a 'landslide Victory' of my country fellow Mr.Geert Wilders and one have to acknowledge his ability to present/promote his views and observations. So Congratulations Mijnheer Geert Wilders!!

Its a total failure of the established political parties of The Netherlands,who are still living in their dreams of yesterday,ignoring the facts that ever changing political scenario in our country and that of the Globe,demands new stretegy and vision.The victory of Geert Wilders is due to this factor.

In coming Municipal Elections of march 2010 and then the elections of Dutch Parliament PVV is going to win through out the country if the rest of political leaders are not ready to change their rigid style of politics. They will have to get the Nieuwe Nederlanders (the migrants) on board by opening their hearts and mind with open arms to welcome them. So for my personal experience of the Dutch Politics is that majority of the established parties have been ignoring them intentionally or unintentionally,not realising that their votes are going to play major role now and in future.

The increase in seats and votes ofD 66 and GroenLinks (Green Left ) in the European Parliaments elections are due to the votes of the above mentioned New Nederlanders. If they consider their victory due to their election campaign then again they will be denying the truth. All those who are against Mr.Wilders populist style of politics among the migrants have opted for these parties and not the native Dutch voters in this case.

I would love to go in debate with the leadership of D66 and the GroenLinks if they would like to argue on this!!!

thePurplecow posted: 2009-06-10 15:07:10

I'm glad that he won,I wish him all the best for the future.He is is a kind and generous man.

The_Purple_Cow posted: 2009-06-10 15:16:08

If there is one person in Holland that deserves to be reconized it would have to be Geert Wilders.I'm very proud to have voted for him.And so are the rest of my friends.My wife loves him.

Mark Reeves Amsterdam posted: 2009-06-11 01:24:43

A toast to Geert Wilders is in order,well done......Mark

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4 reactions to this article

Khalid Ahmed Chaudry posted: 2009-06-10 12:41:05

Of course its a 'landslide Victory' of my country fellow Mr.Geert Wilders and one have to acknowledge his ability to present/promote his views and observations. So Congratulations Mijnheer Geert Wilders!!

Its a total failure of the established political parties of The Netherlands,who are still living in their dreams of yesterday,ignoring the facts that ever changing political scenario in our country and that of the Globe,demands new stretegy and vision.The victory of Geert Wilders is due to this factor.

In coming Municipal Elections of march 2010 and then the elections of Dutch Parliament PVV is going to win through out the country if the rest of political leaders are not ready to change their rigid style of politics. They will have to get the Nieuwe Nederlanders (the migrants) on board by opening their hearts and mind with open arms to welcome them. So for my personal experience of the Dutch Politics is that majority of the established parties have been ignoring them intentionally or unintentionally,not realising that their votes are going to play major role now and in future.

The increase in seats and votes ofD 66 and GroenLinks (Green Left ) in the European Parliaments elections are due to the votes of the above mentioned New Nederlanders. If they consider their victory due to their election campaign then again they will be denying the truth. All those who are against Mr.Wilders populist style of politics among the migrants have opted for these parties and not the native Dutch voters in this case.

I would love to go in debate with the leadership of D66 and the GroenLinks if they would like to argue on this!!!

thePurplecow posted: 2009-06-10 15:07:10

I'm glad that he won,I wish him all the best for the future.He is is a kind and generous man.

The_Purple_Cow posted: 2009-06-10 15:16:08

If there is one person in Holland that deserves to be reconized it would have to be Geert Wilders.I'm very proud to have voted for him.And so are the rest of my friends.My wife loves him.

Mark Reeves Amsterdam posted: 2009-06-11 01:24:43

A toast to Geert Wilders is in order,well done......Mark

Add a comment
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