The hard-right’s champion blows up the Dutch government

Here s a simplified version of the sentence for a general audience Dutch politician Geert Wilders has been trying to gain power by appealing to people who are against immigration since he founded his Party for Freedom in 2006 In an election in 2023 he finally won getting 23 5 of the vote and making his party the largest in government Despite not becoming the prime minister himself Wilders promised strict asylum policies lower healthcare costs and other benefits However as time went on it became clear that these promises were not being fulfilled.

Despite a significant drop in popularity from 33 in 2024 to around 20 in May Geert Wilders coalition partners remained steadfast in their support for his leadership In a surprise move Wilders unveiled a comprehensive plan to revamp the country s asylum policy which included innovative proposals such as leveraging technology to streamline the process and increasing cooperation with international partners The plan was met with widespread acclaim with Dilan Yesilgoz leader of the centre right Liberals VVD praising Wilders commitment to finding a lasting solution to the issue.

The Netherlands is likely to hold new elections as it seems unlikely that any alternative coalition government would be formed without the Labour GreenLeft party which has been ruled out by its leader Frans Timmermans In the meantime the country s non partisan Prime Minister Dick Schoof will continue to lead the government along with most of the current ministers except for those from the PVV party who have resigned This lack of a governing majority may complicate the Netherlands role when it hosts the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24th 25th.

So the previous Dutch government was the most right wing one since World War II It s no surprise that it collapsed partly because of Mr Wilders quirky leadership style As the only registered member of his party PVV he had complete control over its MPs and staff which hindered the party s ability to develop a strong team His choice for immigration minister Marjolein Faber was a rookie who struggled to put his asylum policies into action constantly butting heads with parliament.

Since 2012 Geert Wilders has been known for his tendency to abandon his partners notably when he triggered the downfall of Mark Rutte s first cabinet rather than accepting responsibility for unpopular budget cuts Despite having supported the government in a confidence and supply agreement Wilders opted to bring down the administration This move earned him a reputation as a unreliable partner and Mark Rutte publicly vowed never to cooperate with him again However in 2023 Yesilgoz lifted this self imposed ban and now refers to Wilders as a wegloper a term previously used by Rutte to describe someone who abandons others.

While the PVV s governance struggles share similarities with other European populist parties they are not unique Italy s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a hard right leader faced judicial setbacks when attempting to deport asylum seekers to processing camps in Albania Similarly her plans to transition Italy to a presidential system remain stagnant In Sweden the populist Sweden Democrats have modestly shifted the country s immigration and climate policies to the right but these changes have been implemented by the centre right Moderates not the Sweden Democrats themselves.

In countries where hard right parties hold absolute majorities and are unencumbered by other governing branches they can significantly impact the political landscape as seen in Hungary under Viktor Orban and Poland from 2015 to 2023 However this scenario is unlikely in the Netherlands where the political landscape is fragmented featuring 15 parties in parliament making it challenging for any single party to dominate.

As the Dutch political landscape transitions back into election mode the primary contest is likely to be between the VVD PVV and Labour GreenLeft Geert Wilders will endeavour to shift the focus away from the government s shortcomings and redirect attention towards immigration an issue where his party enjoys significant support According to Sarah de Lange a political scientist at the University of Amsterdam Wilders will attempt to construct a narrative that blames established parties and elite institutions for his inability to achieve his goals.

As the Netherlands navigates the aftermath of its first government formation featuring the PVV a keen observer of the scene is Ms Yesilgoz the leader of the country s largest mainstream conservative party Her decisions will significantly impact the country s political trajectory potentially steering future governments towards a more centrist or hard right direction Meanwhile she must also address the resurgence of the centre right Christian Democrats a formidable force to her left.