The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Victor and vanquished hold talks as Rutte routs Wilders
Netherlands: Setback for anti-Islam party despite securing increase in seats
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte’s right-wing VVD party has easily won national elections, defying polls that suggested a close race with anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders.
Political parties were yesterday preparing to start what is likely be a long process of coalition talks. With most votes counted for the 150- seat legislature, Mr Rutte’s VVD had 33 seats, eight fewer than in 2012.
The far-right populist Party For Freedom of Mr Wilders was second with 20 seats, five more than the last time but still a stinging setback after polls in recent months had suggested his party could become the largest in Dutch politics.
“We lost eight seats, but we’re very happy to be the biggest party again,” said Mr Rutte.
Mr Wilders had lost none of his trademark defiance.
“We were the third party in the Netherlands. We are nowthe second party in the Netherlands. And next time we’ll be the number one,” Mr Wilders tweeted.
It failed to hide his disappointment that he fell short of becoming number one in Wednesday’s vote.
The Christian Democrats and centrist D66 parties, probable future coalition partners for Mr Rutte, won 19 seats each. Mr Rutte warned the process could take a while. “We have had a tough campaign, with reproaches back and forth,” he said. “We need time for everybody to get back into the mood for co-operation, and that doesn’t happen in a few hours.”
The election has energised traditional parties across Europe from left and right, with Dutch voters showing that populism is not always inevitable.
However Mr Rutte’s victory is unlikely to extinguish the anti-immigrant, anti-establishment sentiment around Europe.
After boosts in the UK and US over the past year and Wednesday’s setback in the Netherlands, populism now heads to France for its next test of political viability. It is for Marine Le Pen, of the National Front, to carry the torch in presidential elections starting next month.