Far-right leader Geert Wilders abandons Dutch PM bid despite election victory

Populist firebrand Geert Wilders has conceded that he will not become the next prime minister of the Netherlands because his potential coalition backers have refused to back him.

Wilders’ far-right Freedom party (PVV) sent shockwaves through Europe after coming first in Dutch parliamentary elections late last year, securing 23.5% of the vote and 37 seats out of 150 available in what observers dubbed the Netherlands’ “Trump moment.”

But, after weeks of negotiations, Wilders failed to reach an agreement with other parties and announced he would not lead the next government.

“I can only become Prime Minister if ALL parties in the coalition support it. That was not the case. I would like a right-wing cabinet. Less asylum and immigration. Dutch number one,” Wilders wrote Wednesday on X.

“The love for my country and voter is great and more important than my own position,” he added.

Wilders had hoped to form a coalition with the center-right Freedom and Democracy Party (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte, which came third with 24 seats, and the newly formed New Social Contract Party, which came fourth with 20 seats.

The conservative coalition would have commanded 81 seats – enough for a majority in the Dutch parliament.

But Wilders’ path to the premiership was derailed when NSC leader Pieter Omtzigt last month withdrew from coalition talks with the PVV. Wilders said Omtzigt’s decision to “throw in the towel” was “incredibly disappointing.”

Despite a late surge in support for far-right parties before November’s election, Wilders’ inflammatory anti-Islam, anti-immigration, anti-European Union and Ukraine-skeptic platform was ultimately perceived to be beyond the pale for his potential partners.

The NSC’s and PVV’s refusal to cooperate with Wilders may represent the reassertion of the “cordon sanitaire,” a longstanding principle under which more mainstream parties refuse to cooperate with certain populist parties.

The cordon sanitaire has previously helped to keep extremists out of government. For instance, when the then-National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen (father of Marine) unexpectedly defeated the Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin in the 2002 French Presidential election, the Socialists swung their weight behind the center-right candidate Jacques Chirac, delivering him a landslide in the second-round runoff.

But the principle has been weakened in recent years as more center-right parties have proven willing to build coalitions with more extremist groups.

In Finland, Petteri Orpo – largely seen as dependable and level-headed – only replaced Sanna Marin as prime minister last year after allying with the nationalist Finns Party. Similarly, Swedish Prime Minister Ulif Kristersson relies on the votes of the increasingly Euroskeptic, anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats.

Far-right leaders in Europe have enjoyed a series of recent victories, from Georgia Meloni in Italy to Robert Fico in Slovakia. Last weekend, fledgling radical right Chega party enjoyed a late surge in Portugal’s elections which could make it into a potential kingmaker.

Despite admitting defeat this time, Wilders pledged to continue his push to become prime minister in the future.

“Don’t forget: I will still become Prime Minister of the Netherlands. With support from even more Dutch people. If not tomorrow then the day after tomorrow. Because the voices of millions of Dutch people will be heard!”