Far right in the Netherlands: Geert Wilders struggles to form a government coalition

Before it even begins, the process turns into a fiasco. Negotiations to form a government coalition in the Netherlands following the surprise election victory of far-right Geert Wilders stalled on Monday following the resignation of the man responsible for leading them.

European and international leaders are watching closely to see whether the Netherlands’ new authoritarian leader and his Freedom Party (PVV) can form a government with partners wary of his virulent views against Islam, immigration and the “European Union.” Gom van Straen, appointed by far-right leader to lead the negotiations, was forced to resign after Dutch media accused him of fraud at his former company this weekend.

These circumstances and the time required to respond to the allegations are “incompatible” with the entrusted mission, said senator from Geert Wilders’ party. “I have therefore informed Geert Wilders and the President of Parliament that I will resign from my position with immediate effect,” he added. Gom van Stryn was due to officially begin his mission on Monday with a meeting with Geert Wilders himself, whose party came first in the November 22 elections.

Fraud complaint

Daily newspaper NRC reported on Sunday that Gom van Strien’s former employer, Utrecht Holdings, had filed a police complaint over fraud allegedly committed by the senator and other colleagues. Van Streen condemned the “baseless” charges and said he “complied with all laws and regulations.”

The dispute was a setback for Wilders, who to everyone’s surprise won Wednesday’s election with 37 of the 150 seats in the lower house. His party advocates banning mosques, the Koran and wearing headscarves, as well as organizing a referendum on leaving the EU.

However, the far-right leader appeared optimistic on Monday, stressing that he was still running for prime minister and calling on other parties not to play political games. “Today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, the PVV will help govern the Netherlands and I will be the Prime Minister of this beautiful country,” he wrote this weekend on X (formerly Twitter), assuring that he wants to be “positive and reasonable.”

But Geert Wilders also warned that his election victory should not be ignored. “Some politicians still don’t understand this.” Warning that new elections could be possible if his party fails to form a coalition, he said the PVV would become even stronger if the “democratic mandate of millions of people” was ignored. “The genie has left the lamp and cannot be brought back,” he said.

Following the voting results, Wilders said that he supports a coalition with the New Social Contract (NSB, 20 seats) of pro-reformer Peter Omtzigt, the Farmers and Citizens Movement (BBB, 7 seats) and the formative center of the right-wing People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD, 24 seats) . VVD leader Dilan Yesilgez has already ruled out the possibility of participating in a government led by Wilders, but made it clear that she would be ready to “support the center-right coalition.” However, the position of Yesilgoz, whose party lost 10 seats after the elections, is disputed within his party.

Wilders estimated that coalition talks could be completed in “three weeks” if everyone was willing to make concessions, but the unexpected resignation of the negotiating coordinator risks putting that timeline in doubt. Most analysts believe a government may not be formed until next year. It took 271 days to form the outgoing government of Mark Rutte.