Anti-Islam, anti-EU populist Geert Wilders wins Dutch election

The Star

Dutch anti-EU far-right populist Geert Wilders, who has vowed to halt all immigration to the Netherlands, was set for a major victory in parliamentary elections on Wednesday (Nov 22), an exit poll showed.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00 Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders could be set to lead the Netherlands as its next

00:09 prime minister.

00:10 An exit poll on Wednesday suggests Wilders' Freedom Party is on course to win 35 out of

00:16 150 seats, making it the largest party in the Dutch parliament.

00:22 At a cafe in The Hague, Wilders, who campaigned on an anti-Islam, anti-EU platform, celebrated

00:27 and gave a victory speech.

00:31 We will make sure that the Netherlands will be for the Dutch people again.

00:34 We will restrict the asylum tsunami and migration.

00:37 People will have more money in their wallet again.

00:40 Wilders is expected to try to form a right-wing government with outgoing Prime Minister Mark

00:44 Rutte's party, the VVD, and the upstart party New Social Contract.

00:49 Together they would hold a 79-seat majority.

00:53 But both parties have expressed doubts about Wilders' outspoken anti-Islam stance, which

00:58 includes wanting to ban mosques and the Koran from the Netherlands.

01:02 Wilders' inflammatory views on Islam have prompted death threats and he has lived under

01:06 heavy police protection for years.

01:09 Islamic and Moroccan organisations have expressed concern about his victory.

01:13 Habib Al-Khaduri, who represents Dutch Moroccans, told Dutch media, "The distress and fear are

01:19 enormous.

01:21 We are afraid that he will portray us as second-class citizens."

01:24 Wilders blamed the housing shortage in the Netherlands on asylum seekers, drawing on

01:29 widespread concerns about the cost of living and the overburdened healthcare system.

01:34 A self-proclaimed fan of Hungary's Viktor Orban, Wilders is also explicitly anti-EU.

01:40 He has said the Netherlands should significantly cut payments to the union and block any new

01:44 members from entering.

01:46 He would also stop sending Ukraine more weapons.

01:50 However, none of the parties he could potentially form a government with share many of these

01:54 ideas, even as Wilders claims his party had now become too large to ignore.

02:00 Outgoing Prime Minister Rutte will remain in office until a new government is installed,

02:05 likely in the first half of 2024.

02:09 -

02:15 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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