Netherlands - November 2023
Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders wins elections
On 22 November, the country held early general elections to elect the members of the House of Representatives following the collapse of the fourth Rutte cabinet in July, triggered by immigration policy disagreements among the coalition partners. The right-wing populist Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, secured 37 out of the 150-seats, becoming the largest party for the first time. All four parties of the incumbent coalition government experienced losses. With doubled support, PVV wants to focus on issues such as cost-of-living, an exit from the EU (Nexit), closing the borders to all immigration and to the “de-Islamisization” of the country. Voter turnout was 78 per cent, down from 81 per cent in 2017. Similar to the previous legislature, women will constitute 40 per cent of the parliament.
Sources: Kiesraad, RTL Nieuws, Dutch News, IPU, International IDEA
