Almost six months after a significant election victory, Dutch outspoken leader Geert Wilders proclaimed that an agreement had finally been reached to establish a government on Wednesday. The successful outcome between the four parties was made public by Wilders, who has been influencing Dutch immigration policy from the opposition benches since 2006 and is well-known for his strong opinions on radical Islamists. The statement came after 16 hours of negotiations that continued until the wee hours of Wednesday, during which significant financial issues were resolved. In a conversation with reporters in The Hague, Wilders affirmed, “We have an agreement among negotiators.”
Notably, after Wilders’ unexpected election victory on November 22, negotiations talks had been dragging on for months, with immigration, money, and the environment being the main sources of contention. A breakthrough in the negotiations was reached in March as Wilders agreed to tone down anti-EU and anti-Islam rhetoric, and dropped opposition to all military support for Ukraine.
Geert Wilders surprisingly swept the exit polls in Nov 2023, indicating that he will be the next prime minister of the Netherlands. Wilder, a member of the Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV), a conservative party, assumed the role vacated by former prime minister Mark Rutte, who resigned in July 2023. The outcomes surprised everyone in the vicinity and demonstrated that Geert Wilders’ PVV secured 37 of the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament.
Remarkably, Geert Wilders has been a staunch admirer of the Indian government, applauding the Narendra Modi government’s resolution in 2019 to remove Article 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. Wilder claimed on social media that Pakistan is a state that only tolerates terrorism and that India is a democracy in its entirety.
Wilders had also condemned the West for its criticism of India’s abrogation of Article 370, stating that the removal of Article 370 and 35A is an issue for the Bharatiya administration, and the West ought to assist them. Citing Home Minister Amit Shah, Wilders stated that Article 370 had to be removed as the clause never granted full freedom to Jammu and Kashmir.
Wilders was also among the few international leaders who came in defense of the politician and now suspended BJP leader, Nupur Sharma for her twisted remarks by propagandists during a TV debate last year.
Notably, the main focus of Wilder’s election campaign was putting a pause on immigration, along with border closures and deportation of illegal immigrants, which also showed a mentioned in his victory speech. Wilders had said that Dutch people want their country back, and he will ensure that the tsunami of asylum seekers and immigration is reduced in the country.
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