The Dutch vote in early general elections | news

Dutch voters began casting their votes today, Wednesday, in early legislative elections to choose between strengthening the anti-immigration nationalism espoused by populist Geert Wilders, who ousted the previous conservative coalition after two years of divisions, or returning to the center.

Polling stations opened their doors early at 6:30 am local time (05:30 GMT) in some locations to facilitate the voting process for travelers. The first poll, which has proven historically accurate, will be published when voting ends at 9 p.m. local time.

With nationalist parties topping opinion polls in Britain, France and Germany, the Dutch national elections represent a test of the extent to which populism can expand its reach, or whether it has peaked in parts of Europe.

Wilders led his party to a landslide victory in first place in the previous elections in 2023, and formed a completely conservative coalition, despite the refusal of his partners to endorse him as prime minister. He brought down the government last June because it refused to adopt his tough measures against refugees.

Wilders advances

Opinion polls show that the Dutch Freedom Party, led by Wilders, won, but by a narrow margin, as the other four parties came within a few seats of Wilders, the blond admirer of US President Donald Trump.

The four parties, including the centre-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Democrats, have said they will not enter into a coalition with Wilders and his party, meaning he will likely be barred from power unless he wins by an unexpectedly large margin.

Difficult coalition

Dutch election results are becoming increasingly unpredictable, and building stable coalitions is a daunting task that can take weeks or months.

Opinion polls showed that nearly half of voters were still undecided days before voting.

Wilders, one of Europe’s oldest populist leaders, is known for his anti-Islam stance and lives under constant protection due to death threats.

It also calls for saving money by rejecting all asylum applications – which would violate EU treaties – returning male Ukrainian refugees to Ukraine, and cutting development aid allocated to finance energy and health care.

In Volendam, a fishing town near Amsterdam and Wilders’ stronghold, some locals stuck with him even after the previous government, his pick for prime minister, failed to implement the toughest immigration regulations in the European Union or address a severe housing shortage.

The Freedom Party has seen it lose some support from the Christian Democrats, whose new leader, Henri Bontenball, is running an election campaign based on a pledge of governmental stability and traditional values.

Analysts say the decline in support for Wilders reflects voters’ frustration with the chaotic internal conflicts in the previous coalition. His excessive praise of Trump’s leadership and the US President’s willingness to test the limits of American democracy also worry some voters.